Sad Story

[peternap]

As a hunter I certainly have no objection to killing animals. Like most hunters though, it's not the highlight of the hunt, just the way it ends if you're successful.

This story is just sad all around and reaffirms my dislike for zoo's small and large. We are an arrogant, shallow species.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/10/18/Wild-animals-loose-in-Muskingum-County.html

[muldoon]

The animals that were killed included 18 tigers, nine male lions, eight female lions, six black bears, three mountain lions, two grizzly bears, one baboon and two wolves, Sheriff Matt Lutz said. The escaped monkey poses a danger because it is infected with herpes, the sheriff said.

The sheriff said it is possible that the missing monkey was eaten by a large cat.

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. He died from a gunshot wound. Lutz said Thompson's body was "bothered" by the animals.

I do agree it's a sad story and I am not a fan of senselessly killing animals, but what else do you think the sheriff's office should have done here? 

[peternap]

I don't know that there was anything else they could do Muldoon. I wasn't there and I'm not gonna Monday Morning Quarterback them. That doesn't change the fact that there is a pile of animals stacked up like cordwood that will serve no purpose other than to fertilize a hole in that farm.

The real shame goes back to the origin of the animals. They shouldn't have ever been in captivity in the first place. Nothing should live it's life in a cage.
Now the tree huggers will tell everyone Zoos are necessary to save these big cats from extinction....boy howdy


They don't know how lucky they are to be saved from extinction.

In Richmond a few years ago, Maymont, a private park, had a couple of bears. One of the idiotic soccer moms picked her kid up and lifted him over the outer fence so he could get a better look at the bear. The bear bit him.

A 4 yr old child and at least 1 parent were apparently at the rear of the 2-acre bear exhibit Saturday when the child climbed a 4-foot wooden fence into a restricted area and approached the 10-foot chain-link fence that surrounds the bears. One of the bears bit the 4-year-old boy last weekend. Both bears, ages 12 and 9, were euthanized because it was not known which one bit the boy.

It didn't hurt the kid badly but instead of taking away Mom's PTA privileges, they blamed the bear for doing what bears in cages do. They killed both of them.

If that wasn't bad enough, the Game Commission found a couple more cute little cubs to replace him.

I'm really ashamed to be the same species as these idiots!

[karnf]

I am agreement with you peternap......what is also sad is that I read that a week before the tragedy; the sheriff was called out with a complaint that horses had gotten out of the owner's farm so he said he would better secure. He also mentioned that since he had gotten out of jail from a year long stay; he couldn't get control of all of the animals; he was overwhelmed. My question is what did the sheriff do to alert someone are maybe offer suggestions like seeing if maybe another organization could take them. That wasn't mentioned in the article. Also Jack Hanna stated in an article that he heard that when Terry Thompson got out of jail he returned to the farm and was digusted at the condition of the animals and was suffering financial woes. His wife left him but the year he was gone she could obviously see that things were out of control. Why didn't she call authorities to take over the animals or contact a zoo? The even sadder story is that she is visiting the animals that were recused at the Columbus zoo and wants them back and if she can show that she has adequate means she may get them back.  I can not believe that. Hopefully the governor of that state since he signed an executive order to stop auctions of exotic animals will also prevent this lady from getting them into her care.
Many visit and complaints about the abuse of these animals and the laws were so laxed that these animals were left in these deplorable conditions. Either they were scared of this guy with all the guns or he was tied up with the authorities. A person who didn't want to be identified stated that he knew of a wolf that was living in an old car.....a tiger and her cubs living in a garage, a monkey who couldn't stand up in her cage for it was so small and the rescued black leopard was living in the basement. I could go on and on with the abuse over the years but I am literally getting sick to my stomach. Even his prize horses that he raised were malnourished along with the bowed legs of the lions cubs due to malnourishment! OMG!