Wild Animals Everywhere.... Not in the Sao Paulo Zoo but in Ohio Farmland

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! You may have noticed that I included this in a post regarding Time Irado's visit to the Sao Paulo Zoo one week ago today. Now, I am using this to weigh in on some events very close to home, literally. Yesterday about 5pm, a man who owned a wildlife preserve about an hour east of Columbus, Ohio decided it would be a good idea to release the animals and kill himself. Deputies and authorities from the Columbus Zoo shot and killed many of the animals as they posed an immediate threat to nearby residents, homes, and farms. Its a truly sad story, but people do need to understand that the authorities acted with reason and had just cause.

An exerpt from the Columbus Dispatch reads:

Authorities say that in all, 56 exotic animals escaped from a farm in Muskingum County last night, and one animal was still missing this afternoon. Of those animals, 49 were killed. Six were captured alive and taken to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and a monkey was at large. The dead animals included 18 tigers, nine male lions, eight female lions, six black bears, three mountain lions, two grizzly bears, one baboon and two wolves. The owner of the farm, Terry Thompson, was found dead last night on his property. Authorities say Thompson opened the cage doors and cut the wires on the cages, then killed himself.

The video below was from CNN earlier today before the remaining animals were found, with the exception of one monkey.

I am not making this stuff up, even though with the rain in Ohio lately, it seems that someone could have built an ark and became the 21st Century version of Noah. It's a story that is made for a movie and one that has an unfortunate ending for both the animals and the owner. It also goes to show that you should not be allowed to own wild animals. Most people that own a dog don't know how to take care of it, let alone an alligator, a bear, or a tiger. If Columbus, Ohio makes the news in Sao Paulo, Brazil, you know its big news.