Bears, tigers, lions and wolves escape from Ohio zoo
Police have shot and killed dozens of exotic animals that escaped from a private zoo in Zanesville, Ohio.
Sheriff Matt Lutz said he personally gave the order to shoot the escaped animals, including grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, tigers and lions.
On Wednesday, Mr Lutz said police believe they have now accounted for all the animals but one wolf and monkey.
The animals' owner, Terry Thompson, was found dead at the zoo, and police believe he killed himself.
“Start Quote
End Quote Jack Hanna Former director, Columbus ZooThis is like Noah's ark wrecking here in Zanesville”
Mr Lutz said a preliminary investigation suggested Mr Thompson left fences open at the farm.
Officials said the "volatile situation" of animals escaping from the Muskingum County Animal Farm and the approach of nightfall on Tuesday had prompted the shoot-to-kill order.
Staff from the nearby Columbus Zoo hoped to tranquilise the remaining animals.
US nature TV host Jack Hanna, a former director of Columbus Zoo, in the nearby Ohio state capital, said tranquilising animals in the dark was incredibly dangerous, and told reporters that "the sheriff did the right thing".
"You cannot tranquilise an animal like this, a bear or a leopard or a tiger [at night]," Mr Hanna told ABC before the news conference.
"If you do that, the animal gets very excited, it goes and hides, and then we have [police officers] in danger of losing their life, and other people."
'Like Noah's Ark'Mr Hanna said the scope of the event was immense.
"This is like Noah's Ark wrecking here in Zanesville," he said.
Overnight, police have urged people in Zanesville to stay indoors and flashing signs along nearby highways told motorists: "Caution exotic animals" and "Stay in vehicle".
Several local school districts cancelled classes.
"We didn't want kids waiting by the bus stop and seeing these big animals," Mr Lutz said.
Police have several suspects in custody after they attempted to steal one of the animals Tuesday evening.
Another animal was struck by a car on a nearby highway.
Ohio has some of America's most lax regulation of exotic pets, reports say - and some of the country's highest rates of injuries and deaths caused by them.
In 2010, an animal caretaker was killed by a bear at a property in Cleveland. The death was eventually ruled a workplace accident.
'Bad situation'Sheriff Lutz said his office began getting phone calls at about 17:30 local time (21:30 GMT) on Tuesday, saying animals were loose on a road just west of the town.
Four armed deputies were dispatched to the zoo, where they found Mr Thompson's body and the animal cages open. Several aggressive animals found near the body were shot, Mr Lutz said.
Mr Lutz said his main concern was protecting the public in the largely rural area.
"This is a bad situation," Mr Lutz said. "It's been a situation for a long time."
Federal Division of Wildlife officers were drafted in to help with the situation, a local official said.
A neighbour of Mr Thompson, Danielle White, said he had been in legal trouble, and police said he had recently been released from jail.
"He was in hot water because of the animals, because of permits, and [the animals] escaping all the time," Ms White said. A few weeks ago, she said, she had to avoid some camels grazing on the side of a freeway.
Mr Thompson had been released from federal prison three weeks earlier after serving a one-year term on firearms charges, according to the AFP news agency.
His farm was reportedly raided June 2008, seizing more than 100 guns.
A local resident, Bill Weiser, said Mr Thompson had been a colourful character who flew planes, raced boats and owned a custom motorcycle shop which also sold guns.
"He was pretty unique," Mr Weiser told AP. "He had a different slant on things. I never knew him to hurt anybody, and he took good care of the animals."
Comment number 97.
Icarus02Just now
Dangerous Animals on the loose fine.. but how can shooting stuff in the dark be safer than shooting them with Tranquilisers... no offence here but one set of wild animals on the loose was surely enough?!
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Comment number 96.
becky1 Minute Ago
funinthesun23 - not everything is about practical care the theory is just as important, so what hes got 40 years of practical care but what about the rest, the history, the literature. Our lecturers have taught us to understand where they have come from and where we have come from, how to protect them properly, not abusing our gun fetish
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Comment number 95.
Lizardlvr4 Minutes ago
What a mess!! Props to the state police for taking care of it so quickly- not that the animals deserved to be hunted down but not really much of an option... immobilization in that situation is too risky for everyone involved. Another reason why private collectors shouldn't be allowed to have all of those animals they clearly can't care for.
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Comment number 94.
mscracker6 Minutes ago
It's a shame, but a greater shame would be if a child or any person had been injured by the animals.
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Comment number 93.
funinthesun238 Minutes ago
becky - more nonsense from you. I actually know Jack Hanna, and he is a conservationist. I think he might know a little more about the subject than you or any of your lecturers after 40 years caring for animals.
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