This is totaly absurd. Shoot to kill becuase they might have a curable virus that is only transferable through blood sharing whith disregard to there being any signs of agression or not? The shoot to kill order sounds horribly unjustified and is quite disturbing.

GO MONKEY! GO! If you can't get to the state forests, hide in the ceiling tiles of the police station, drop on each of them when they're alone & bite them in the ass!

AVENGE your fallen neighbors!

I bet they're together... disguised as a midget walking his dog.

IDIOT Sheriff. Seems to me it's just as easy to shoot something with a tranquilizer dart as it is a bullet. "We didn't have any of those darts," the sheriff said. Well, Deputy Butterbean, get some. It would have taken less than an hour if you had been using your brain.

the bigger question is that he knew there were all these animals there and he had had run-ins with this guy int he past. so wht the F didn't he have at least one tranq gun sitting around.... and tasers would have worked on many of these animals did they really not even try?

and nevermind half of my comment 1.1 I was thinking of a different virus. this one while treatable is pretty bad. But why do they think the monkey might have it??

Heres what gets me...This fellow with all the animals is an example of a certain type of individual that can be found in almost any working-class suburban or rural community. They are generally old crotchety eccentric types - loners - with many acres, and busy puttering about all of thier land day in and day out - in no meaningful income producing way. Some might make a quick buck by taking in construction wastes that would cost much more to get rid of legally - letting people come in and cut down acres of woodland for timber - or mining earth for fill sand and gravel. The taxes alone on these properties can be significant - and these guys generally continue all manner of unpermitted uses that have neighbors calling the Town Hall. What strikes me is this.

I cant figure how 1. they manage to purchase the land in the first place (perhaps in most cases it is inherited from parents ) and 2. how they pay basic expenses of living from one month to the next. They are such eccentric odd fellows - that people generally avoid them unless they are in cahoots with them(such as the underhanded individual looking to cheap out on disposal costs).

They putter about acres of land doing odd things, and seem to get along relatively fine, constantly dodging the locals, giving them runaround after runaround. Not ALL mind you - but a mightly large amount of them.

And I wonder the same thing when I watch those Hoarders episodes on A&E. So many of them seem SO dysfunctional - yet they own houses for decades, that they are able to hoard to extreme proportions. Yet so many of us can't afford homes and dont have this level of dysfunction.

All I can come up is - is that life is random. Some people who should succeed don't even though by all logical reasoning they should have, and other people who should be out on the streets live on acres of land with exotic animals with no discernable income enough to support thier odd lifestyles.

This animal fellow - obtaining all those animals in the first place - expensive. Feeding them - expensive. The land to hold them - expensive. What exactly was his source of income? This sure doesnt look like a family-friendly zoo - far from it.

Strange....

Yes! Go Monkey go! God this all reminds me of an animated film called "Plague Dogs". :(

David --- "This is totaly absurd. Shoot to kill becuase they might have a curable virus that is only transferable through blood sharing whith disregard to there being any signs of agression or not? The shoot to kill order sounds horribly unjustified and is quite disturbing."

No, it's absolutely NOT absurd. Herpes B is not curable and blood sharing is certainly NOT the only way this virus is transmitted. If the monkey were to bite someone, it would be transmissible and it is an absolutely HORRIBLE way to die. Also, there's no "might" to having this virus. Nearly 100% of all macaques are carriers of the disease. People think they understand a disease because it's called "herpes" and they think they understand all herpes viruses -- THAT is what's absurd.

The Lone Monkey on a mission for the cure to his herpes rides his lone wolf into the sunset! Has a long ride to canada but with free health care he hopes to survive!

his is totaly absurd. Shoot to kill becuase they might have a curable virus that is only transferable through blood sharing whith disregard to there being any signs of agression or not? The shoot to kill order sounds horribly unjustified and is quite disturbing

No virus is "curable". Some the body can fight off, and the one in question is deadly to humans.

As far as shooting them, you have people living in the surrounding area with children, lets dilly daly and hope we can tranq them with inacurate dart guns they dont own probably because they have no funding thanks to tea baggers, and let them go eat children. We aren't talking about escaped turtles it's 1000 lb @!$%#ing tigers, lions, and cheetahs you morons. Here's an idea, you go move there and fight for the right for them to come eat your family k?

WTF is someone doing with 18 bengal tigers, 17 lions and 8 bears? That is ridiculous! There is not a zoo in America with that many of any of those animals.

"I hope the monkey is riding the wolf to Canada."

I'd pay to see that movie. Jack Black could be the monkey; Hugh Jackman the wolf. Typical buddy movie formula.

AHAHAHA I wonder how many red necks got their shot guns out and were like hunny....kids....lets go hunt us some bear, lion, tiger and a monkey that has aids!!!!!

I'd pay money to see that - a tree hugger with a dart gun stalking a lion at night.

I'm shocked at this headline, "Monkey with herpes...".

Isnt this a HIPAA violation, release of protected health information? The monkeys caregiver is in deep trouble.

A careless "indiscretion", the monkey picked up herpes, now the details are all over the internet.

StrengthinNumbers...

I like your autobiography.

Good writing style for a self-isolationistic individual.

***WARNING***

This monkey has herpes. Do not have sex with this monkey. I repeat... Do NOT have sex with this monkey.

Oh no! A monkey with herpes. How many nasty people are walking around with herpes ( although maybe a little different ) that aren't telling the people that they are giving it to? As for the fuzz it makes them feel like big shots to be out shooting at animals or people. It verifies that the little piece of sh*t pinned on their shirt makes them a big deal. They can go home now feeling like real he mens themselves and breed. They made a big deal out of something that really wasn't. It could have been controlled and taken care of another way. Just like most so called civilized people they they heard the word wild animal freaked out, panicked and over reacted.

Somebody messed up big time, these exotic animals should not have been killed!!!

They should have been tranquilized and transported to different zoos across the country if the state can afford to take care of them.

They literally murdered the animals in cold blood. The State apparatus has the means of taking care of this situation without having to massacre these animals....

The monkey with the virus, yes, that can be taken out. But the other animals like the Tigers, Lions, Bears...dude, are you f*cking kiddin me?

I dont care how we spin this, it was cold and calculated cold blood killing of animals that were doing what they are supposed to do when they are set free ....

Absolutely ridiculous and DUMB if ya ask me....what an injustice to these animals!!

He must have had money and help. Article said he was in jail for a year. Care for over 50 animals for over a year = a lot of $$$.

Right on, Doc. Did they even stop to think that tigers are endangered as it is? And the slaughtered, yes, SLAUGHTERED, EIGHTEEN of them. I was so pissed when I heard this on the radio this afternoon. Don't tell me that they couldn't have gotten ahold of tranquilizer darts. Now this is a cause that deserves animal activist attention. Still soooo pissed about this!

They litterally murdered the animals in cold blood.

Untrue. Aanimals cannot be murdered, killed yes...but only humans can be murdered. And, to my limited vet knowledge, none of the animals were cold blooded.

The State apperatus has the means of taking care of this situation

Source? No? Let's say the "state" has a game plan of what to do when 18 tigers are roaming free (does your state have a plan?)....what about the 56 officers of the Zanesville PD?

...cold and calculated cold blooded killing of animals that were doing what they were supposed to be doing when set free.

Yeah, hunt....that's what animals do. Such a refreashing thought that 18 tigers were roaming about the countryside, hunting. Maybe you thought they'd hold a got outta jail party instead? Or sought membership in the local PETA chapter?

It's strange that nobody on this post seems to think the guy who kept the animals and released them before committing suicide was in any way the cause of all this. It's the Sheriff charged with the responsibility for protecting the public who's getting all the heat. Why didn't he just go out and round up all the animals like a big game hunter in Africa? What!?

Of course it's sad that the animals had to die. But the fault lies with the owner, not with law enforcement. This guy was a nut, who was sent to prison for being in possession of multiple illegal weapons. A man known to authorities for being irresponsible, hostile to authority, and in possession of weapons and wild animals.

But to many people on this vine he was a hero, a rugged individual standing up to the law, a real American patriot. Get a grip! Keeping that many wild animals is a dangerous activity, not some movie land expression of freedom.

With a nutcase wild animal keeper who was determined to cause havoc, the sheriff did his job, as best he could. He deserves to be commended.

Strengthin#---most likely funded by the state that bound the man accused of being a murderer for keeping the public safe.

Even more strange...keep paying those taxes

@phillyfan-2830508 - it was an animal preserve, not just a man w/ these animals in his back yard. and there are several others around the country. as a matter of fact, there is one where i live in Colorado. google: Wild Animal Sanctuary. this guy and his family is amazing providing a safe haven for these wild animals while also letting them live as free as they can be.

@Pho Yo Npho - i agree. i had posted on my FB before i read the story over here that it was so disturbing to me that the owner opened the gates to their enclosures and then shot himself KNOWING that all of these animals would probably be killed. i don't understand it. if he was such an "animal lover" .. WHY would he do this to them?

i do; however, think the Sheriff may have had other options available to him and it didn't have to end like this. with less than 3,000 Bengal Tigers left on this planet ... and 18 of them killed today ... is is deeply disturbing that they were so quick to shoot. i get that they have to protect the public; but surely they could have darted these animals and moved them elsewhere.

The former governor had put a stop to having stuff like that and those that were illegal would have to be closed down and the illegal animale would have to be gotten rid of. But the present governor (R) didn't extend the former governor's edict about that, so it was OK for that idiot to have his animals. So the death of all those animals is on the shoulders of the present governor.

But better those wild animals rather than some children.

raven::: a sanctuary is a legal haven for animals. What that joker had was an illegal enclosure for the animals. But this governor said those things were OK to have. So the law couldn't touch them because the governor said they were OK.

Hey the hillbillies in Zanesville think camels are carnivorousness. Same with the Giraffes? Dumb hillbillies just wanted to kill something.

Something is seriously wrong with the schools or the people are inbreeding too much, if they are afraid of giraffes and camels. Black bears still live in the Ohio woods. Cheetahs don't attack people. ALL cats avoid people. Even in India where there are a few thousand cats and 800 million people, killing by a tiger is rare. The woods in Ohio is full of deer. Most of those cats never would have been seen again, they would have just lived out their years in the wild.

Do the people in India live in fear of tigers? No just the hillbillies in Zanesville. These are the same bimbos who beg for a coal mine for jobs. Not afraid of the mercury in coal, afraid of a monkey........yeah hillbillie, that monkey is just looking just for you.

Really scary, the people there are allowed to vote

MSNBC trying to mislead the public again.

read carefully, the animals were killed because they were on the loose, not because of the virus. in fact, they had killed all of them except for the monkey and the wolf. then the monkey was supposedly found dead with the virus. if you watch the main video, you'll see it makes no mentions of any virus. the smaller video says a monkey that COULD be carrying the virus was not found.

CNN never talked of any virus:

"One monkey remained unaccounted for Wednesday night, but conservationist Jack Hanna, who assisted in the effort, said the animal may have been eaten.

"It looks like everything is taken care of," Hanna said. "There was one monkey left, and right now, we found a carcass of the monkey. We don't know if it was eaten."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/20/us/ohio-animals-on-loose/index.html?hpt=us_c2

who would do a Herpes B test on a monkey carcass anyways? in Gainsville, Ohio?

the amount of BS news that comes out of this site is disgusting. not to mention the internet scams they allow to advertise at the bottom of the main page.

Susie-2759697

raven::: a sanctuary is a legal haven for animals. What that joker had was an illegal enclosure for the animals. But this governor said those things were OK to have. So the law couldn't touch them because the governor said they were OK.

thanks for that info. i thought i had read it was some kind of animal sanctuary. now i'm more sad that they lived a fretful life and had to have it cut short because of selfishness. :(

Fish and wildlife would be the first to shoot before the non-native species ruined the ecology.

Compare these frightened wimps to this person in California to get some perspective

Google this "Surveillance cam catches cougar in Escondido yard"

i agree on that, no balls sherriff

Yes, let's see how many people we can get killed in the process.

The problem isn't the animals being shot-human beings DO come first, like it or not. The problem is this dick having all those animals to begin with.

It's certainly not the critters' fault, but the sheriff did the right thing. Why don't you go try and tranquilize a couple dozen wild animals that could kill you in one swipe? That's what I thought.

Its Ohio, that is what they do.........

they are all armed with tasers. I read an article on MSN about a month ago about wildlife managment in alaska using tasers on bear and moose and saying that it was more effective and human that tranqs. There are a lot of alternatives.

Good question KAA....The answer is tranquilizers was not a viable response to this situation. The animals were loose and leaving the area to populated parts of the community and would pose a significant threat.

Animal tranquilizer is a DEA controlled drug and is possessed only by licensed veterinarians. This probably would not have been readily available to responding officers. Even if so the delivery system of a dart rifle is very difficult and has a extremely short range usually less than 50 to 100 ft.

It takes great expertise and experience to track, corner and dart an animal without injury to the person doing it. The majority of tranqing of animals that I have seen is after being cornered or captured in a trap the vet assesses the animal and assigns a specific amount to that animal and it is administered. To much will kill it and not enough endangers responders. There is no ALL PURPOSE dosage. Once the animal is out it is monitored by the vet whicle workers remove it for humane transport to another location.

I can see from the initial call and response this was not an option for the local sheriff.

The majority of animal problems is turned over to state fish & game who use trackers and vets, but time and danger did not allow for this, and the sheer size and scope of this problem would have overwhelmed them.

Great question though.

david-3636731... would you want to be the guy that has to walk up to a bear or a tiger and try to taze them... not me, I defer.

Eugene Saxe,

You are on the money! And all the people Monday morning quarterbacking, should have gotten off their computers and gone out there and rounded up the animals, since they know and have all the answers. I bet none of them did or even thought about it!

My god they are just going to bury these animals all those beautiful skins going to waste. As a hunter and taxidermist this makes me sick save the hides!

Unfortunately, as much as I love animals and hate to see the waste of these beautiful exotics, I really don't see the sheriff had a lot of choice.

If the first place, remember these are WILD animals ... and most were predators.

Based on Azrancher's great response, I decided to do a little more research since it's an interesting topic.

One of the best tranq guns seem to be the Pnue-Dart Model 389 rifle. They are about $600 each, so I would guess a law enforcement office MIGHT have one, possibly two. But more importantly, the effective range of the thing is 0-100 yards. (www.pneudart.com). The site is also very specific that the tranqualizer in the darts is a controlled substance.

Now, at the far end, 100 feet is not very much if you have an enraged tiger charging you AND it takes time for the drug to take effect. Tigers run about 35mph, an Olympic sprinter, 24 mph. Average human, 17 mph.http://www.wonderquest.com/fast-tigers-slightly-salty-rain.htm Personally, I don't like those odds.

So, as horrible as it is, the blame for the deaths of these wonderful animals lays NOT with the sheriff, but with the idiot(s) who keep them in captivity.

Taze a 300 or 400 lb. lion or tiger? Are you guys daft?

I do think they shot awfully quickly - they should have called in the wildlife people from the State environmental agency, as well as contacted the US Fish and Wildlife Society, and the Zoo. They would have been there within hours. and Im talking a couple of hours at most. Shorter than the time it took them to hunt these poor creatures down. They would have mobilized immediately. No, instead Sheriff Big Game goes on a safari hunt.

I have a feeling that if these agencies release an official statement, it will be to cover the Sheriff. But in reality, they are probably cursing a blue streak about what a dumba$$ the guy is for not calling the State and Fed wildlife officials. And if he did, and they dragged thier feet - then the whole lot of then need to be FIRED.

I could have and would have rounded a few of them up myself with a couple of good fellow wildlife biologists and a tranq gun. These animals have been caged all thier lives. They arent good at evasion and thier hunting instincts are far from well honed! Toss a steak out, and throw a net, captured tiger. Seriously.. pretty much close to that simple.

OOps - Fish and Wildlife SERVICE.... USFWS.

Oh and another thing - please.. stop referring to these animals as wild. Far from it. Exotic, yes. Wild, no. These animals were captive exotics. Not born and living free, with hunting and evasion instincts well honed. They depended on a human thier entire lives for food, and paced in small enclosures. Not wild. Not ever able to be released into thier native habitats, either. Im glad they had a brief chance to range through forests and fields before being gunned down after a miserable life in a small cage. Its tragic all around. Those animals should have been seized a long long time ago, based on cruelty alone.

The problem isn't the animals being shot-human beings DO come first, like it or not. The problem is this dick having all those animals to begin with.

Eugene, Didn't anyone ever tell you that two wrongs don't make a right? Just because the animal guy was a failure doesn't make it OK for the sheriff to be one as well. The sheriff has no excuse, he should have been prepared for this possibility, especially given the history between the animal owner and the authorities. I think he should have to face prosecution for killing endangered animals.

Oh, wait the animals were not killed, they were gunned down, that's the news for you! Why couldnt they have said that it was necessary for the animals to be shot to protect the community, but oh noooooooo they have to make a point to get the animals rights activists stirred up!

Roscoe P Coltrane & the Duke boys could of handled this better than this trigger happy, donut eating, whale belly POS sheriff. He needs to be fired, then caged & put on a bread & water ration. Your 15 minutes of glory is unjustified.

StrengthinNumbers, the animals are wild + exotic. They are wild animals because they do not have the centuries of conditioning - and in many cases even genetic manipulation that domesticated animals like dogs, cats, cattle and horses have. A wild animal typically cannot consistently recognize a relationship with a human being, so that is why they can become violent.
Now the problem with this event is that many equate violence with evil. Rightfully so. This is the case when dealing with humans. But a fine line of discrimination in thinking is needed here. And people are capable of it. Let us recognize that despite the animal's violent proclivity, they are also just trying to defend themselves. The exotic, wild animals are not evil.
So therefore, more could have been done to prevent this event.

StrengthInNumbers i have been trying to find oout how this guy got the money for all the anmmials and food still cant find anything if you find out can u pls post im super curious thanks

wow, fgh - great example of talking out your a$$... just this statement alone... " a wild animal typically cannot consistently recognize a relationship with a human being, so that is why they can become violent." Really? REALLY?!? So a domesticated animal never becomes violent, eh? Those mauling pit bulls, the cat that hisses and scratches, even the zany little chihuaua that growls and snaps - thats not aggressive behavior, huh? Ever get bit by a horse? Rammed by a goat? been attacked by a rooster with hackles up and spurs akimbo?!? Come on...

Wild animals can consistently recognize a relationship with a human. Happens ALL the time... Just keep on putting out cookies for the squirrels every morning. See how quickly they learn to recognize a "relationship with a human". Theyll be knocking at your window every morning, and I promise you, they won't spring for your jugular.

What the heck is the evil thing all about? Who ever said anything about evil? Thats just bizarre.

I repeat. These were exotic captives, and, just to say... there are no reports of a single one charging anyone. A chipmunk living on its own wits in the stone wall behind your house is more wild than one of these released animals. Youve got domesticated animals, youve got wild animals. Youve got feral domesticateds (try to pet that cat that was born and raised in the nearby weedlot and see how "wild" it gets..), and youve got captive exotics.

And if the squirrel analogy for a wild animal that can cozy up to a human isnt good enough - consider wild dolphins - too curious for thier own good, and forever fascinated with humans. They will swim right up to you to say hi.

So stop talking out your a$$... its irritating.

While you're educating us to the categories and classifications of animals, "wild," "domesticated," "feral," and "aggressive," "captive" and "exotic," try looking up this term: "Large, carnivorous predator."

Comparing the consequences of a human's interaction with a grizzly bear or a Bengal tiger to that with a squirrel or a chipmunk is beyond irrelevant. Having knocked a man down, a horse or a billy goat will not eat the human.

The relationship of an African lion to a human armed with a tranquilizer gun he has no idea how to use or with a taser is that of a diner to a meal.

@SoNotRight.

In case you didn't read the article

HE WAS ALREADY DEAD!

@ Beth-440386 , @ SO Deputy, @ Azrancher and Eugene Saxe

Kudos to you

The bears would more than likely have scavenged on trash and vegetation. They are not straight carnivore.

So it sounds like most of you wanted to wait around for a couple of hours until it was dark and no one could do anything.

Because you all know FOR SURE that the animals were just going to lay down and wait for morning to start running. And since most of these animals can cover about 20 to 30 miles EASY in just a short amount to time -- Well then we would probably need the National Guard? And meanwhile a couple of kids get eaten, an old couple who were trying to change a tire etc. -but since you don't know them who cares -- right?

Your plan sounds wonderful (yea, right) - I think under the circumstances -- remember those?? They did the best they could with what was available to them. Coulda, should, woulda doesn't cut it when a child gets hurt or killed!

Now we need to learn and legislate so those animals lives lost might improve the life of other 'exotics'.

Actually, they did try to tranquilize them first but big cats don't tranquilize that easily. They brought the number one animal EXPERT in the world, Jack Hanna. He gave them the advice they tried but advised them to change strategy when the tranquilizers didn't work and actually riled the cats up. Also, most big cats are nocturnal hunters and would have hunted and killed any animal in the area (including humans).

Jerry how ignorant can you be? Humans have rights?, who came down from the sky above and told you, your life is anymore important then a flea?

Humans have rights because they created those rights. Every living thing on this earth has the same "rights" unless the creator told you something I don't know. Just because we are smarter then animals doesn't mean we are so smart.

I just wished the sheriff would have sold hunting permits

All you righteous beings-- YOU face down an angry tiger. You don't say "Here kitty" to it. These animals were fenced in, and now there was thousands of acres before them. I have seen reports of people who knew what they were doing MISS a deer with a tranq gun. And in one case, there were three guys-- and all three of them missed. Those were just deer-- picture a tiger coming at you. Bet you's s--t in your pants!

SoNotRight.: How could he be "more prepared"?

Idiots are talking tasers, forgetting you have to get pants-sh!ttingly close to the animal to tase.

Idiots are talking tranquilizers, not knowing WTF they're jabbering about. Animal tranks are a controlled substance. Animal tranks capable of putting down lions and tigers are even MORE controlled. This guy had no access to what the situation called for, and that isn't his fault/problem. He's a cop, not fscking animal control (and FYI, it's doubtful animal control had the right tranks either, there's not a tremendous call for them in the US outside of zoos). Tranks also have to be dispensed very precisely, or you risk killing the animal or the tranker.

In short, animals died, not people. The man did what had to, regardless how blind you and these other morons are. Instead of bitching, you should be thanking him for risking his own life to save clueless self-righteous jackasses like yourselves.

Please. I've know many cops over the years. Spend some time in pizza, and it's as bad as a doughnut house. There's no WAY they weren't going to shoot these animals. It's what they live for. They'll tells stories to each other to their dying day about killing these vicious, dangerous (tranqualizeable) animals before they caused any damage.

That's why I go limp as a fish with cops, even on a traffic stop. Twitch wrong, and it could be "shot while resisting."

They did try to tranquilize a few of them; the tranquilizers were not powerful enough to stop the animals.

SoNotRight.: How could he be "more prepared"?

Sorry for the late reply, but since you asked; the sheriff was well aware what the guy had in his "zoo". If you're the sheriff and you're unable to have these animals taken away legally you should prepare for the day they get out of control -or- escape. Planning ahead, it's what we're supposed to do in jobs like this.

SoNotRight. Seems the sheriff was well prepared. Other than the suicide no people were harmed. It is NOT the sheriffs job to rescue animals. That would be Animal Control, Department of Natural Resources, Depart of Wildlife or what ever your local animal interfacing dept is. Besides just how does one plan on 50 animals being loose at once? Even a zoo wouldn't plan on such an event.

It is NOT the sheriffs job to rescue animals.

Not his job? ...and if I work in the local police department, it's not my job to alert the fire department about a fire hazard I have first-hand knowledge of. ...and it's not my job as an IT manager to prepare for a power loss at my facility - especially when there are thunderstorms approaching.

Thankfully only one person died, but many endangered animals were needlessly lost. Like it or not the sheriff bares THAT responsibility.

The only RESPONSIBILITY the sheriff had was to notify people and protect them. Perhaps in addition he did notify the appropriate agencies but he made decisions on scene that were in the best interests of PEOPLE. Attempts were made to tranq animals and they failed. What tune would you be singing had a child been endangered or worse by one of these animals? You did read that the primate that was loose was attacked by one of the cats?

The sheriff bears responsibility for protecting people first, that includes those responding to any and all situations. Then to property which would include the animals.

The sheriff bears responsibility for protecting people first, that includes those responding to any and all situations. Then to property which would include the animals.

Nobody is contesting which responsibility comes first TV, so you can let that argument rest. What I'm rejecting is the idea that you can only take care of the first responsibility to the exclusion of the other. When you see the possibility of a major mishap or a disaster in your area of responsibility, you make plans, you train people, you ask other agencies/organizations to be ready to help should the worst happen - you don't wait until it happens to ask. I know you think I'm asking too much of him, but being Sheriff is a job filled with responsibility, and it doesn't end at his office door. For years now, people in the work place have been pushed to take ownership, take responsibility, etc. That's the way it is now, and that's OK, but people with high profile positions should be especially subject to responsibility, not get a free pass because they did what was required.

Where I work it's never OK to say "it's not my job".

SNR... and just what are the odds that FIFTY animals will get loose at the same time? I'm sure you would be the first to yell and scream if your sheriff spent the kind of $$$$ on supplies alone for tranqs for 50 animals. The DRUGS are a controlled substance for starters. They REQUIRE a licensed veterinarian to write an Rx to possess and administer. They require appropriate storage and they have a shelf life. Would you want the sheriff to hire a vet and the supplies or 3 deputies to patrol?

Not sure what your job is... Military is the only one I am aware of that you are expected to do it all. Military is also one of the few that has the $$$$$ to be ready for it all.

The take responsibility at work is a whole other thread if you ask me. Management in most companies ... just a whole other thread.

and just what are the odds that FIFTY animals will get loose at the same time?

Fifty animals in the hands of a crazy guy, not a zoo. Apparently the odds were well within the realm of possibility.

I'm sure you would be the first to yell and scream if your sheriff spent the kind of $$$$ on supplies alone for tranqs for 50 animals.

I wouldn't,and didn't, suggest any such thing, I said he should ask for support from another agency or organization. Support can be traps, tranquilizers, guns and manpower, IF required.

I've done my best to make my point. I just don't like it that we're so satisfied with the outcome. And yes, I am influenced by the military, but they have a sound approach to evaluating risks and it doesn't always translate to more money - it's just due diligence.

Fifty animals in the hands of a crazy guy, not a zoo. Apparently the odds were well within the realm of possibility.

Hindsight is always 20/20.

I wouldn't,and didn't, suggest any such thing, I said he should ask for support from another agency or organization. Support can be traps, tranquilizers, guns and manpower, IF required.

He asked for support. The zoo arrived the next morning. One person arrived on scene during the night and almost ended up injured/dead after tranqing one of the animals. What sort of traps would you suggest for Bengal tigers? Perhaps leg traps for the wolves? Snare (neck) traps for the primates?

I am influenced by the military, but they have a sound approach to evaluating risks and it doesn't always translate to more money - it's just due diligence.

due diligence sounds like a management term or accounting. I served in the Navy. The military solution, as many businesses, is to throw money at things. It's easy when it's someone else paying the bill.

The sheriff did what he felt he had to do. Not many in his area are faulting him on the response. The larger negative is they are upset that the situation was legally allowed to develop in the first place.

How about going to the local zoo and SEEing what these animals look like. Tell us you are ABLE to stand your ground and tranq one of them without someone standing by to shoot to kill. Now consider 3 or more animals ready to do you harm.

Well with all of your obvious vast experience in tracking and capturing dozens of tigers and bears with nothing more than a police car and a set of handcuffs you should have put on your cape and tights and went to lend a hand. Why would you sit this one out since you know more about live animal capture than all the people who DID respond. ??????????

Chasing your gummie bear vitamins around in the bottle does not count though huh??????

You got it Azrancher and this notion that somehow these rare animals are going to save those endangered in the wild is ridiculous too. Exotic animals sold to private owners are bred by unscrupulous profiteers who don't give a rat's butt about how badly they treat the sires and dams. They are inbred and have a myriad of health problems due to that inbreeding. Zoos are not going to take these animals and the few exotic sanctuarys out there that are worth a crap do not have the resources to provide these neglected and abused creatures a place to live out their lives in peace. If a single human had been harmed these same posters would have been all about hanging the sheriff.

Azrancher has been doing a great job of explaining the situation in logical terms instead of being blinded by emotion. Keep it up, sir.

Thank goodness they're all accounted for, I was concerned there might be an Orange Cheeked Boehner on the loose . . .

They're only wasted if they're not turned into food, clothing or fertilizer.

It was not in this article, but another mentioned that tranquilizers are not something the police in the area usually have with them, and it was within less than an hour of being dark where they could losing track of the animals. Also what few tranquilizers they were able to obtain had little effect on the tigers, so they made the decision to shoot them instead when it looked like they were getting away. They made the right decision under the circumstances.

Wildbill::: Some were caught and turned over to a REAL zoo. But you need daylight for that.

If it had been Texas, Arizona, or New Mexico, the cops would have used the cars to corral the animals. It's pretty hard to bite through a car door. They just don't have that kind of experience in Ohio, I guess. Cops here deal with wild bears all the time. Almost all of them are relocated to the wild with no incident.

Cars to corral lions?? tigers?? 56 animals were on the loose.

theCavalier They don't have that many trees in TX. The only way through a lot of the wooded areas in OH are on foot or perhaps dirt bike/atv. Substitute a big cat for this video

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44928583/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/t/mountain-biker-attacked-antelope-it-was-scary/#.TqAdPrLNQXI

Cheryl want to take a 300 pound tiger home. I've had a wolf you have to understand canine psychology to safely live with one. But that was one wolf not an assorted group of non domesticated animals. And he was hand raised from a pup with the help of the farm dogs.

Yeah. They only needed to hold out until daybreak for professionals to arrive. Many of the animals were just wandering around the compound. Here in New Mexico, our cops aren't sissies. We get bears from the Mountains several times a year. They know how to deal with them, STAY IN THE CAR, call animal control, and relocate them, and these are WILD bears, not cage raised animals. I don't buy the danger to the public line. They just decided it was an excuse to shoot something.

Here in New Mexico, at least they shoot people with guns and knives, not browsing animals.

I agree this was not the animals fault. The police knew of this place...I do not understand why they were not prepared for something like this to happen. I do understand why the order to shoot to kill was given..

I say let's cook 'em up and have a grand feast!

And I say you are a failed piece of human trash.

shut up u sick minded person. we should cook u up and have a grand feast

I have to laugh at all of you complaining about the animals being killed. I don't think anyone thinks this is the best thing but let's face it, some idiot kept a bunch of wild animals and he let them loose. I'd rather have a bunch of dead animals than some innocent kids getting mauled!

Global: you really should put down the starbucks and get out of the apartment more often. I work with preservation groups to save wild horse & burro populations. They are inbreeding themselves out of existance and before much longer the bloodline of the herds will be lost forever without intervention. People without knowledge of horse herds like to protest and fight for these animals but in effect are assisting in there demise. The herds NEED culling to eliminate effected animals and to preserve the mustang as a whole and complete bloodline.

If you got out and learned about horses and saw these herds and what is happening to them instead of relying on phamplets to educate yourself you would see this. Thnaks for caring about them though, many are indifferent. Just educate yourself so your care is not wasted.

I so agree. Who gives us the right to kill innocent animals. I am sure those animals will end up in someone's hotdogs or happy meal burgers. So sick. Us humans we act like we are something else...I cannot wait for the day when justice is served.

I agree Dave... I was pissed at first but when you stop and think about the situation; dozens of dangerous animals. Animals will be animals. No way a police force is prepared to handle this. Bummer yes but if they would have killed any people it would be an even greater travesty. We don't know why he had the animals if he rescued them himself and that's why he had them or what not. But to assume the police would be able to prepare for this isn't plausible. We invented weapons to hunt with because we are no match for these creatures unarmed. I do refrain from judging the now dead owner since we have no idea what the actual situation he had the animals to begin with was. If he just bought them thinking they are cool to have then he sux. If he helped those animals... well at least they got to live and be treated well by him while he was alive (what it sounds to me like). Bummer he killed himself but thoughtful to release the animals thinking they may make it (inconsiderate of the people but at least he left them a fighting chance in the wild per se).

Azrancher -- could you recommend a website on that? I've seen references to it in passing.

I agree karma.. I feel for the animals. They should be tranquilized, not shot and killed.

It's better the animals died instead of children, because child burgers are not quite as delicious as animal burgers (close, though).

Incidentally, the meat of other carnivores has much greater health risks associated with it than that of grazing animals. This is also why only the manure of grazing animals is safe to use to fertilize fields. 'Just thought you'd want to know.'

"WHO WAS ON PLANET EARTH first?"

Depends on if you’re an atheist or if your religion states animals came first.

@ Karmacomesbackaround

"Screw kids! What the hell makes you think your kids are more special than an animal? Dumb@#$"

You mean aside from the fact that there your fellow species? Also would you put YOUR family in danger to save an animal (I probably can guess the answer, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt).

"I so agree. Who gives us the right to kill innocent animals. I am sure those animals will end up in someone's hotdogs or happy meal burgers. "

Wait what? That doesn't even make any sense, why would they eat these animals (let alone that carry diseases).

"So sick. Us humans we act like we are something else...I cannot wait for the day when justice is served.""

Whatever "justice" you refer to would include you by the way. Also it's worth noting that nature isn't exactly a kind Disney movie. There’s a reason people do bad stuff and somehow I don’t imagine it’s simply because we’re natures meanies (I recommend looking up dolphin rape, chimp wars and lion). Not to say mindless cruelty is justifiable, but animals (which includes us) aren't all rainbows and sunshine/

Lee releasing non-native species into an area is an ecological disaster. If some of you can't care about the people maybe you can care about the native species that could be wiped out.

Who was on the planet first? I don't remember for sure, but I think God created Adam and Eve, then the dog, then the cat to drive the dog nuts.

Depends on if you're an atheist or if your religion states animals came first.

No, it doesn't. Let's leave myth out of this

as wrong as it is plenty of people do have exotic and potentialy dangerous animals as pets. These animals were not ignorant of people. There has been no statement mentioned that the animals were acting agressively towards anyone. I could understand a few needing to be killed beucase they acted agressively when approached to be subdued. These are protected animals. How can they just shoot first ask questions later??

wow you are all so idolatrous and crazy... you'd rather take a chance that living people get killed than kill animals. Wicked!

David -- I doubt they were "pets". And even wild predators that ARE considered "pets" often turn on and maul their owners. For a great example, the Vegas magician that was almost killed by his "pet" tigers a few years ago.

Now, take those "pets", turn them loose, get them scared and in unfamiliar territory. Still want to take a chance?

Years ago, a friend of the family and his wife had a deer they had raised from a fawn. "Baby" was the cutest thing and loved to pose for his picture. Well, he grew and grew horns-- and his adopted parents didn't show him what buck deer do with horns. But he knew, and he made life miserable for them. They had to eliminate him.

Oh it so easy in hindsight to say what someone should have done. Sounds like you would rather let them run free and endanger people, eat their pets, and get run over on the highways or starve to death.

In Ohio the only way you can have pets like that is if the residents approve. If one doesn't, they're all taken away. Its the peoples decision.

Thats to 'lax' for you? You want more Govt oversight? Theres plenty of places like that where you wont ever have to worry about something like this again.

Take your crusade to the zoo.

You are right. Humans are more dangerous and by far more evil than animals. When is the last time you saw an animal have sex with with its own gender. But its perfectly ok for humans to do it. Pathetic and sick.

BM, nice derail homophobic off topic rant. Homosexual behavior occurs in other animals just as it does in humans. Studies show that almost all 50% of sexual activity in elephants occurs between elephants of the same sex. 10% in male lions, 80% in rams, macaques etc., etc. Shocking, huh? Should make you think that homosexuality is, how do I say it, normal and expected.

Homosexuality is not evil, not dangerous, and perfectly OK among consenting adults. If you stopped thinking about what other people did in the bedroom, you might have some energy to have some fun yourself.

BM,

Perhaps you should educate yourself a little bit before posting on a subject you're not familiar with. Homosexuality in the animal kingdom is very well documented in over a thousand different species.

BM, you should at least LOOK before you tell these big lies!

http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/10/23/20718.aspx

MountainLioness......

Or....maybe, just maybe a moron shouldn't be allowed to have 56 wild animals? Just a thought.

What an outrageous situation particularly since the local sheriff was aware of the situation and had trained personnel with tranquilizer guns. I recognized with are not speaking of human life, but innocent animals that are taking out of the habitat and then let loose. There should have been a humane way of handiling this.

Actually with as many dogs as I've had in my life I've seen quite a few male dogs hump other male dogs. They don't have sexual hangups.

Is that you Captain Hindsight?!

You are living in a fantasy world. I suppose the Sheriff should be ready for any moron who walks around and have the proper equipment to deal with them, right. Walk a mile in the Sheriff's shoes before you speak. Police, fire and various public officials have to make split decisions that are life and death. I know I have been there. If one of those animals ate a little kid you would be the first to complain!!

Uh.....Wally, Nowhere does Mountainlioness say they should have been allowed to run around the neighborhood, only that a combination of lax laws and a propensity to shoot the varmints when we screw up, causes a lot needless animal deaths.

We don't treat them as we should, with respect.

From the televised interview of the sheriff and Mr. Hannah, it was apparent that they were very sad about having to destroy these animals and that they wanted better laws and permits in place and made statements to this effect, so that this never happens again.

They were not happy about any of this happening or what they had to do, there was none of this "go gettum fun hunter" excitement around which I had picked up from some of the bloggers and early vague articles at first. There are many animal rescue programs, 4H projects, and animal care folks in the area who do have domestic horses, dogs, cats and farm animals, responsibly care for them, and must pay to keep them so this is an emotional topic and many tempers flared including mine. We who care, all had grief and anger with this and frustration that they could not be saved, but those on the front lines were actually left with very little time or choice in the situation. They hated having to kill them.

Mr. Hannah had tears at one point when hearing the number of tigers killed and shook his head in sorrow with the same emotions all other animal lovers had here. The sheriff knew and was sad for the wife of the farmer who was in grief about it all and mentioned that she had been close to some of the animals and had lost a husband too. The questions of motive and responsibility for setting the animals free rests with him and he is no longer alive to tell us anything other than showing us the consequences of his suicidal behavior.

I am glad for this interview as it clarified many things for me as to law enforcement's attitude. Basically, they had to come out and clean up this man's actions. Their attitude was genuinely sad, respectful, and concerned about the lives and safety of both the animals and humans. Sadly, prevention is the only key. Law enforcement was not incompetent, but hopefully Ohio's leaders will bring back the proper laws around this issue soon so that there is the necessary supervision, means of intervention, planning, emergency back up, and help by professionals and others in the community. Prevention of these animals not being properly cared for or this happening again is a must. Also, such laws and funding are necessary for the basic safety of citizens, and it would be nice that those who have to protect and enforce the laws never have to go through this tragic action again and I hope none are experiencing any PTSD from this. Again, the interview provided information and clarified many important details.

Tony from NJ, you rock!

Maybe anyone that knows you.

Honey, I was attacked by an escaped monkey, I swear! Classic, Tony, just classic.

ya ya it was the monkey I was ready to catch it but I got the herpes instead!!! damn it! I'm a hero ya know!

Glad you find slaughter amusing. Jerk

Change yer pad, JPRhedd.

I've dated some ugly girls in the past, so this wouldn't be that unbelievable.

Lets say youre the sheriff and you wake up one morning and find out that there is FIFTY-EIGHT GIGANTIC WILD ANIMALS ON THE LOOSE!!!!!

Are you gonna make about 30 phone calls? Hey how much traquillizer do we need? yeah? No not not a couple of bears.. 58 wild animals!! you dont know? ok let me call around a little more.

Or!!! Order them to be SHOT ON SIGHT! Problem solved!

These animals are endangered all right. Endangered by the IDIOT owner that that held them illegaly in the first place!

Animals in thier natural habbitat are endangered. When they are in Ohio they are just dangerous pets.

What do you expect from a cop? Seriously....

I rather save animals then shoot them! they didnt do anything and they dont deserve this! they did not ask to be out as a target to shoot them up! it s human fault, Human loves to kill everything including another human, human are the most killer species on earth!

What do you expect from a cop? Seriously....

Well, you stand there with a club or a few traquillizer darts...

58 Dangerous animals is not a SPORT it is not FUN and it is not a WAR. It IS a very serious THREAT to the locals.

Humans kill? well thankfully in this situation they have killed for a VERY GOOD REASON!

I hope you do know that these animals are an endangerment to our ecosytem in Ohio, they endanger our children, and the could possibly migrate to othe states and reproduce.

@Maxeemas

How is it unusual in nature for an organism to kill another organism? Or have you missed your Biology classes. And plenty of other organisms kill their own species, spiders and wolves are shining examples.

Also, We kill the most? and we love to do it? It is called survival of the fittest the strong will live on and the weak will perish. Maybe you should realize that humans are the fittest thus we will prevail until we destroy ourselve or something else kills us off.

I am not even going to warrent Ksari an answer.

I thought we live in a great country, first world country which I would assume we could of done things differently but I was wrong! we showed other 3rd world countries that we are no different than them!

Some LA Cops kill people here without good cause so I am not surprised.

The world is sinking Mama, we brought animals here promissing to protect them but now we decided to kill them! and blame the monkey virus spread to justify the killing! evil we are but worse I think! why have them here from the first place?

America please dont complain about other countries killing their own animals! if we can do it so can they...

DisGusting

Smoking WINSTON is DisGusting you right!

We would be reading a very different headline if YOU were the sheriff. Dont shoot them... save the protectected species...

yeah.. headline: "ENTIRE POLICE SQUAD MAULED BY FEROUCIOUS BEASTS!"

Good thing that didnt happen!

I find it funny that my post was not addressed at all. I will take that as a win.

Give one instance that has been solidly confirmed by 3 sources Maxeemas and I will agree with you.

Scenter101 : are you serious? we have a brain that enable us to think clear before making any decisions, animal dont have that! so if some stupid idiot sick freak decide to take his own life, why does the animals have to pay? they didnt ask for this! they should not been executed because your friend went crazy! he was locked up for 3 years that s a sign! and when he was free, he decided to get revenge or whatever he had going on in his messed up head! Things could of been handle differently, get it now, because of people like you! life will never be easy.

you cant understand this? after what i said? "MAULED BY FEROCIOUS BEASTS?" Look! These animals have every right in the WORLD when they are found in the wild. This is OHIO...ok? THEY BELONG THERE?

Sombody? (a felon) said I'll protect you here in Ohio? That was right? NO! They didnt ask for that either. They didnt do anything wrong and... they didnt ask for the situation!

BUT THEY ARE IN OHIO ... THEY CANNOT RUN FREE... THE LOCAL AUTHORITY MADE THE FIRST AND BEST CHOICE TO REMOVE THE SITUATION.

Take this to the jungles in inda or the plains of africa..and theres a point. THIS IS OHIO! THEY DONT BELONG HERE!

Gabbi sorry but I prefer the endangered species didn't have some little kid for dinner.

You really have to resort to petty insults don't you. I guess you really don't know the facts then. The police department did not have tranquilizer guns, and if these creatures escaped they would have been facing more flak then they are now. The sheriff made the best of two bad decisions. But, since you love them so much why don't you find out what would happen. Go live in a Jungle for 3 weeks with no tools. That is nature and what would become of you is nature at work.

And no we really don't have much more reasoning in a dangerous situation then a mouse in a safe one.

Anyway regardless what I think! they are all dead now! I wish we could study what happened and learn from it and have other plans..better plans to avoid situations like this!

if we re going to trust Human with responsibilities over anything! then be it

if not! then that s something we should look at! make no mistake about it... the whole world rely on each other to do the right thing! without each other things collapse rapidly

Yeah, BM, funny, huh? What's so funny?

some people just see the word "herpes" and laugh

hey I did; I had to read about this just because of a herpes infected monkey... was like ummm realy?

I was saying it was funny to see the fags attack me for the homosexual comment I made. I personally have never seen the complete process take place between two animals. Sorry, it unnatural and a disgrace, period.

actually when most same-sex animals engage in sexual-looking activities, it is usually a sign of dominance, and has nothing to do with sex or sexual urges. If you watch a male dog doing it to another male dog they are not sexually excited even though the guy on the bottom often looks a little embarrassed! Someone mentioned sheep and I believe cows...herd animals do it (it is theorized anyway) in response to the pecking order within the herd.
That being said, BM, I wish you wouldn't label and call names. Not with a name like yours anyway! :-) This article has absolutely nothing to do with homosexuality. It has to do with animals being tragically killed because some idiot human put them in the position where that became necessary. Although while I understand the order being initially to "shoot to kill" had to be made, I think by later on they should have had the ability to use dart guns, etc, to better advantage. Especially for animals as scarce as the Bengal Tigers. Very tragic to lose them.
Oh and for whoever said they should have waited til nightfall and gone after them...that is when all the animals mentioned are most active and searching for food, with the exception of the bears and the monkey (which I am very glad was removed by one of his homies)

BM, I see you got lost on the way back to your thread and posted on an entirely different posting. First of all, I would bet money that none of us who responded to you are "fags." I'm not. I hate bigotry and ignorance of any kind. I don't have to be gay to stand up for gays against people like you. None of us was attacking you. We were educating you.

And again, you were completely off topic.

@ Sonata's Adela, I recommend you review the study done by Charles Roselli at the Oregon Health and Science University who studied sexuality in sheep and found differences in brain structure in male sheep who engaged in homosexual behavior than their heterosexual male counterparts. It would appear to not be related to pecking order or dominance. Roselli determined that sexuality was biologically determined in sheep and maybe in humans.

I FAIL to see what animal sexual behavior has to do with this article. Why don't the bigots and sexual activist find a thread where that is the topic and discuss it there. The only dominance going on in this article is/was with the owner controlling animals and the debate here between the animal rights and people preservationist.

guess they won't tell you they shot it.

never heard anything about a mountain lion

A mountain lion, a wolf and a monkey walk into a bar....

Ha! Excellent! I was wondering if someone else was thinking this sounde like the start of a joke!

Send the monkey home to its native land the other two are native species.

I agree, but there will be others that will post here that will find fault in caring for animals and make excuses as to why the sheriff had, "no choice."

theres always a choice

Well george the transition from make believe to reality is harsh I guess.......I hate to tell you but there is no such thing as a general purpose super spy tranq gun like you see on your make believe TV shows. There are several different delivery systems to tranquilize an animal the co2 rifle/pistol only being one of them. But the thing they all share in common is they require a drug that is dosed and administered by a licensed veterinarian loaded in the syringe to be delivered to the animal. This stuff is not just laying around in the trunk of the police car, and takes time to call out and put together.

From the local ohio news it states they did have one vet respond and attempted to tranquilize one tiger, which failed and it had to be shot.

To administer a tranq successfully on an animal takes a little more than what your mind is used to digesting on nightly fiction shows.

Thank God some sanity on this thread...

HwPicker: that's the truth and nothing but, I think most of these people on here just run there mouth and dont care what other people are saying (the sane ones)

Owned.

Azrancher, thank you! I was just about to throw in the towel. Some people don't think, they just respond with ignorance.

Yes, tranq those animals. Then atleast they'll fall asleep after they maul you

Maybe they will fall asleep after they maul you, or maybe not. The dosage is very difficult to determine - must know animal's weight and general health - must hit the right spot with the inaccurate dart. Even if it works, the drugged animal will take some time to fall. It might just run and hide, or it might attack the nearest target.

And the drug can induce cardiovascular collapse, breathing may stop, etc. Tranquilized animals must be closely monitored. Sometimes an antidote must be administered at the right time, which is quite dangerous for the LARGE TEAM OF EXPERTS required to handle a large, dangerous animal that has been tranquilized. Not to mention the need for mobile cages appropriate for the animal. To handle this number of large animals at one time, it would have required all the experienced large game live-handlers in the US and in Africa.

The fact that 6 animals were captured alive and taken to the Columbus Zoo is a remarkable achievement. I hope the animals don't spread any diseases among the Zoo animals.

Yes Justina, I am thinking along the same track as you and also MountainLioness. This is so sad and so wrong; these beautiful precious endangered cats, bears, and other living species, murdered by big guns like this, it does break one's heart to see this irresponsible sick tragedy that did not ever have to occur...

Yes. This should have been prevented from becoming such a disaster a long time ago. These animals should have been taken to proper zoos or to a proper facility like The Wilds Park nearby when this owner/farmer began to have legal and other problems. It was human error, bad leadership, looking the other way, and no money or rewards of money in this negligence. The state should have been able to get a warrant to take the animals away!

Firstly, I mainly blame this farmer. He was very selfish and irresponsible in his suicidal act of condemning all these beautiful animals to a certain death. If he had any compassion for them, he would have left them in their cages and even called to make arrangements for their care himself so that they could at least have a future life and be taken properly to the nearby zoos in Columbus and Cleveland, etc.. However, it seems he was going to spitefully hurt others and take away what he had worked so hard to give in caring for them in the first place, by golly they were his to do with as he wanted and he would show them authorities now by setting them free, afterall, he owned them, right??? NOT! Here we have an example of the sick homosapiens-centric rebellious control freak mind with flawed logic, objectifying living beings as if they are his play dolls. This is sick, stupid, angry, selfish, confused logic.

Secondly, I am unhappy with the "officials" for not knowing such things or being trained for such emergencies, and not taking action to prevent this, especially if there had been complaints and incidents already and if they knew it was a chronic long term problem. This logically leads to the third level regarding the lack of proper management and leadership in and by the state officials of Ohio that should have oversight on such issues and competency of their so called trained employees and who should be watching out themselves competently for citizens in dangerous situations by humans who are criminal as well as animals...difference is the damned meth-heads are having addictive issues and intent to hurt others beyond natural instinct and hunger, while the pushers are pocketing all the money, officers getting co-opted by the criminals in Zanesville (a couple years ago), etc.. This Seneca gal's comments don't carry any credibility because neighbors complain all the time about humans and get nowhere and female deputies get shot in the face by paranoid nutzo jonesers when going alone to investigate abuse reported by humans at trailer parks as happened a couple years ago. What the hell kind of degenerate filthy animal was this who attacked that woman and killed her? Why, it was a crazy homo-sapien!

I think MountainLioness has a good point about "looked the other way" on this for too long. Strickland had tried to put in an emergency measure for the prevention of this kind of disaster, but Kasich stopped the bill and screwed that up too for reasons of limits to privacy and business?

It makes common sense that one private farmer cannot care for this many animals properly by himself without enough assistance and a proper set up. Why is this allowed to get to this point of total incompetent and murderous f*ck up!!!? This kind of operation should be licensed as any other enterprise such as a veterinarian clinic or facility and takes many trained professional people, veterinarians, animal handlers, maintenance crew, etc., to run. There are really no excuses to this final disasterous outcome! Its like not putting a stoplight in a busy intersection until someone gets killed in a collision.

Blocking protective measures for the private rights of the mentally unbalanced farmer beyond other past incidents, complaints, second chances, incarcerations, to abuse and ignorantly mistreat himself and his animals but not giving a sh!t for the safety of the neighboring tax paying citizens until you have the inevitable emergency and have to destroy all the beautiful endangered species when he goes nutzo and lets them loose.

Private, h@ll, what is so great about privately free to fu*k over others to this point of incompetence and death? This is not only archaic cave man logic, but insane. If Governor Strickland's emergency measure passed, this would very likely have never happened. Can we finally get some educated folks back in the leadership here so that stupid painful and ugly things like this do not happen again?

Prevention here would have been the key. But, tragically, for these beautiful rare animals - it cost their very lives - innocent victims in the "merciful hands of the great briliant human caretakers who rescued them", how arrogant for the humans to see it this way, some day it may be a bunch of surprised bubbleheaded homosapiens as it was before when it just got too expensive to feed them so the superior Arians marched them off to Auschwitz. Repent? Ha!!! Happy Halloween. Better be lighting a candle and praying to Isis/Gaia that we do not get a gigantic karmic kickback from Lady Sekhmet...actually I fear Czarbomba, a radioactive human-made f*ckup much more...and these new things that eat up one's brains, prions. Well well, for all of us, including all living beings which have souls, life's a path, time rules, and then we ALL must die on Planet Earth equally.

Smoke another fat one!

Yeah, they did that in the rice paddys in Nam, smoked another fat one before they got blown to bits. So what BNorm, is your point? If it is about being normal, it is healthier to liberate oneself in finding inner peace and balance, and to NOT crave or need to smoke...anything; and it is a fact that due to wrongheadedness and incompetence, we lost that long expensive painful war.

In retrospect, we can examine human error. What is so tragic, again, is that this was wrong on so many levels, a precipitating event over time that could have been prevented with good logic, professional work, smart decisionmaking and best practices. It was incompetence that led to a painful end by representatives voting against a good measure. Too many of the same stupid man made mistakes are being made througout history. That is the point.

Yep, and if one ever comes to maul you I'll remind the officer about to save your life by shooting it about your comment... be consistent, you're illogical. You know you would be crying out to shoot it if one ever attacked you.

This is sad, WAKE UP you idolatrous people! You worship animals! You love animals more than people---you'd rather take a chance that people would be killed than animals be killed.

This nation is going down, love has grown cold for others. Repent!

droptozro

never needed help from a lion attack in my 70 some years. No one ever tried to take my gun away either as some preach to me.

Totally agree with you Ruben! And to droptozro, so what if a human was killed in the process of recovering these animals? That is nature. Have you forgotten that we are animals too? What makes you think that a human life is any more precious than an animals?

Well lets see human sheriff chooses human over animal thats basic nature at work. Would have made the same decision in cave man days. All of you who want nature to work you just saw it.

-In the alternate universe where the animals weren't killed-

Deputy- SIR! SIR! That tiger is eating a man!

Sheriff- Well of course, kid, that's his instinct. We can't interfere with that!

Much better outcome, huh?

Well hell Brett, we'd better just start killing every dangerous animal on the planet then, since a human might stumble upon them and be bitten. While we are at it, lets start randomly executing humans too - there's a chance soome of 'em will grow up to be criminals.

especially stupid people, and there seems to be a lot of them on this topic.

Animals are better than people. I speak for those who have no voice.

animals are better then people i agree 100%

Next time on Animal Hoarders...

Animals are better than people. I speak for those who have no voice

We introduce you to Mam-Maw.......

MawMaw you are an animal if you missed that biology class suggest you brush up.

animals are better than people??? I wouldn't know, I have never ate a person yet, hope I never have to. I will stick to animals.

sure but dozens of them? seriously I think yall are going with the gut instinct I had at first... lazy cops just shooting because they can. Reality is the tranqs would need administered and are regulated. No way you can expect the police to have it handy. If it were one or two sure perhaps there's a bitch... dozens? With people around? Yall hopefully rethink what your posting is and say hmm ya it blows but what are ya gonna do? If they were hungry and hunting your ass I'm sure you'd say shoot it then right? Eventually they would be hungry and if kids are all that's around... kids get eaten because that's what animals do. Frankly a cop doesn't sign up to be a vet and hunter. He's there to protect the people. People protected, case closed.

i'm glad i don't live there with a sherif like that i'd be afraid he's shoot me , he is a sissy sherif, no guts and a whiner. he's a gun happy sherif,not a prtector,kinda funny that man had all those exodicts and no one in all these yrs was killed or hurt by them and his neighbors need to get a life,i would love to have a neighbor like him. i'd rather have tigers bears and wolfs for neighbors then familys with whiney screaming kids and parents that drink and play loud music, or drug dealers and pedifiles, i'd feel safer with his animals as neighbors. people cause wild animals to attack and kill,from trashes yards, screaming children and males that use there yards for bathrooms cos there to dunk or 2 lazy to go in an use a bathroom. man took land from animals,cos there greedy,and people whine and freak cos a mountain shows up in there yard,those people should be shot not the animal after all where are they suppose to go when people are taking away there homes cos man is greedy and stupid. that monkey probably doesn't have nothing wrong with it, its a excuse for the sherif to kill it thats all and why do you think protect and serve isn't on police cars anymore? think about it,if there to protect us then why if you have a restraining order against a violent person and that person shows up but they say oh we can't do anything cos that person hasn't harmed you yet. they don't do @!$%# till something bad happens, thats not protection to me.

I heard something similar but it was Jack Hanna defending the Sheriff's actions and he went on to explain that a veterinarian friend of his died when trying to tranquillize an animal back in the 70's. Apparently it jumped 13 feet and killed the vet before it was sedated. Pretty sorry excuse considering it happened once over 30 years ago.

RM

because you dont believe the facts , youre more inclined to make up your own reality about red neck trigger happy cops?

you must live in a sad crazy world.

facts are facts

cops arent supposed to be ready for any and all scenarios, especially regarding exotic animals. with dozens of dangerous animals roaming the residential neighborhoods you want the police to track down several licensed vets with experience dealing with exotic animals and licensed to use tranq. darts. and expect those vets. to know how much and what kind of tranqs. to use and then track all the different species down , match them to the right vet & dart and accomplish this before any of the animals mauls a human? really? what part of shang ri la to you live in?

it sucks that the animals died, it sucks that some moron was allowed to own these animals, but the real spineless a holes are the legislators who made the law the way it is.

we had a lady whos ferret escaped out of the house, she did all the proper things to find her ferret, the ferret was even microchiped , but the jerk who runs a animal shelter shot it instead of seeing if it had a home and who is behind aspca's why gee the police department. they killed someones pet. protecting me my ass, aferret wouldn't harm a soul.

Tranquilizing not the same as loading bullets. You have to have the right dose for each species and body weight. Wrong load and you're dinner.

We tried to tranquilize a bull once that we were trying to move. It made him more agitated instead of quieter. I wouldn't want to take that chance with the big cats, bears or wolves. They only had a hour and a half until dark when the animals would have disappeared into the surrounding area. It takes time to tranquilize. Give the sheriff a break. He was potentially saving human lives. One of the cats had already eaten the monkey, a human wouldn't be that big of a change for him.

Couldn't release the monkey anywhere, it had a highly infectious (including transmittable to humans) disease. And yes, the cougar and wolf should have gone to the wilds.
Can't really be sure about tranq darts...it probably burns like hell and I know most big cats at least, go wild and just flip out when darted. However if the sheriff was able to err on the side of caution they would be being basically euthanized instead of being tracked down and shot. I wish they'd quit showing the picture of that beautiful, albeit out-of-place Lion laying dead next to his own property's fence. Poor things.

Bet you enjoy killing things that can't shoot back

Like that coward sheriff and Cheney

As I said, someone will inevitably post an excuse for the sheriff's actions.

no, no i wouldnt. id rather kill anyone hes about to attack so he doesnt get killed for attacking someone.

i would never shoot another animal

R.M.: And how would you get the word out to an entire community to remain inside their homes in less than an hour. TV???? It would take that long just to set up the broadcast. Radio????? IF everyone is listening to their radio. ESP....telekenisis HAHAHA. What about people just leaving their jobs....dont go home??? WTF. Where do you people get these insane perceptions of reality.

As far as "flippin idiots" go, you should try and educate yourself on the use and possession of animal tranquilizers. They dont work like they do on TV and your imagination. Just contact your local VET or Fish & Game and inquire about the issues of administering a tranq to a moving wild animal.

Then you might see who the real "flippin idiot" is.

I hope your parents did not spend to much on your education, it was money wasted.

justina777: I don't hunt, for food or sport. I understand sometimes dumb animals need to be put down for safety's sake. *looks at you*

R. M.: Yes, and how long did they have to gather all these tranks and round up a posse to go a'huntin'? How far would they have had to go to get tranks strong enough to lay out lions and tigers? How long were they to sit around waiting for tranks, when night was fast approaching?

Instead of whining that they got shot, why don't you pinheads whine about "Why the Hell was this idiot allowed to keep these animals in the first place?" Bitch about something logical.

Azrancher: they just dont get it, I mean really they are brain dead. Most of these posters just bypass all the sane comments, they live in another world.

Go play in Traffic R.M. yes this situation should have never happened in the first place and killing beautiful animals is horrible but give me a break put the whole county on lockdown??? There is no county in the USA that carries enough equipment to tranquilize 50 WILD animals within 20 mins notice. Law enforcement did their job protect the public. "spineless, terrified, trigger-happy redneck bastard cops" You are an idiot, ignorant and apparently racists lets see how you react when a 300 pound BENGAL TIGER is running at you and you have a dart!!! Tell family of the mauled child your idea at the funeral see where that gets you?

Those of you talking about using tranquilizers, need to read up on them, because you seem not to know what you are talking about. Those I've read talking about using tasers, you have no ideal on how a taser works. I DO! and I would not want to get close enough to use it (21ft or less), that's if it doesn't malfunction. The Sheriff did what was right for the citizens of his county, like it or not, it was the right decision.

I think it would be cool if a tiger showed up in my back yard.

MountainLioness: Yeah, sorry to ruin the stupidfest, but someone had to point out that rescuing under the circumstances wasn't an option. Maybe read past the headline and use some common sense (call a neighbor if necessary). It also helps to have a clue; you might get a deal for one on eBay.

People's lives were in danger. The police had no choice but to kill them. There was no time to find tranquilizer guns. There were 49 animals loose for God's sake! It's very, very sad that these animals were imprisoned in the first place..

nobodys life was in danger,get real most of the animals they shot were still behind the fences can't you read. they showed pics of the lion and tigers and guess what they were behind the fenses just standing there, no teeth bared not moveing a step either. killers support killers and the sherif is a killer. oh well good thing theres a thing called karma, cos he will get his.

Vickie -- Those pics were taken before the animals were released. I, too, regret the need to kill the animals, but I can see no other way. To suggest otherwise would be the same as saying, "As soon as you see you are heading into an accident, be sure to put your seat belt on."

There was no time to find tranquilizer guns.

Sure there was, in all the days, months and years leading up to this incident. The Sherrif is IN CHARGE of the COUNTY where there was a LARGE GAME PRESERVE WHERE CARNIVORES WERE KEPT.

THE STUPID SOB SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARED.

Look at it this way.... if there had been a prison break, how sympathetic would you be to the Sherrif who hadn't thought to equip his force with guns?

The Sherrif was criminally unprepared for an incident he should have planned for

Umm there was no "game preserve" the dude kept the animals for himself. And where was the money for these guns to come from? Maybe they could of fired some of the police force to pay for them...because that's the responsable thing to do. What about money for training? Money for the sedative(mind you one size does not fit all)?

You're not even a starting armchair quarterback.

Umm there was no "game preserve" the dude kept the animals for himself

Your answer doesn't cut it. There had been numerous problems, and the sherrif was fully aware. I agree there could not be funding to allow preparation for every possible scenario, but there by God ought to be enough to prepare for the likely ones... and this was a likely one. You gonna defend the guy if he weren't ready to respond to, say, a tornado, or a prison break if there were a prison in his county?

Didn't think so

I won't defend them in that case. Why? Because they are funded for natural diaster response, and responding to a "jail break".

And exactly how likely is it that 40+ wild, exotic, animals are on the loose...anywhere in the US? Would love to see the odds on that one. Maybe you have a link to another story on how 40+ exotics were released into the US countryside?

Darth you borrowed my response from elsewhere... I said 50 ... And again it isn't the sheriff who responds to animal issues. Rather the Animal Control or Department of Natural Resources, maybe the game warden. They don't stock for more than a few incidents at once I am sure for $$$ as well and just simple planning.

Sally: It's more fun calling an idiot an idiot, then proving it.

Careful there Eugene Sally is an official Moderator. While the rest of us can post STFU she can simply stuff a sock in our virtual mouths. :)

I know, I've been silenced before. And I stand by my previous statement ;)

Your hatred for police officers is amazing- who would you call if you are being robbed, or attacked- a friend??? Were you out there with the wild animals trying to

help them??? The police are not trained to take care of wild animals (except for the 2 legged kind) Next time you are your family are in trouble- don't call a cop- since you are so baaaad you should be able to handle all yourself.

Call a cop for help? HA HA. What a joke.

Someone who speaks/types like you have no business calling others "idiots".

I would go out on a limb and make a bet that there are less than a dozen servicable and finctioning CO2 dart rifles in the entire state of ohio. The state Fish and Game probably has a half dozen if that, the zoo might have a few more and there might be a vet with one. The use of a tranq rifle to sedate wild animals is not seen on a large scale. It is very difficult, often dangerous and requires a veterinarian to supervise and administer the dosage.

Also I doubt Ohio is a hot bed for experienced african animal trackers and hunters.

But I might be wrong. The Ohio state police might just have a wharehouse full of unused african lion cages and bear traps????

Right, every police department should have a procedure in place in how to handle 50-60 wild animals escaping. DUH!

Gee wally, Did they know about the animals? Did they do anything to prepare for an unforseen event?

Hey Dave, maybe that's why California is bankrupt......do you guys have a contingency plan for every forseen emergency in every county in the state based on who owns what and what might happen?

BS! First, only the monkey is infected. Second, the sheriff was offered help with these animals and refused it. Third, he had knowledge of the concerns of the surrounding community already and made no preparations. Fourth, this whole slaughter was senseless.

gee i dunno, catch em and test em? @!$%#wad...

An easy decision for a simple mind.

@MountainLioness - where is verification of your assertion that help was offered and refused? Yes, the sheriff had knowledge of the concerns regarding these animals and about the previous escape of one animal, but do you really think ANY LE agency in the US is trained and ready to tackle 35 large cats at once? Much less conceive of someone deliberately loosing the animals? No police force can be expected to carry in excess of 50 doses of tranquilizer in doses large enough to drop a huge cat, plus the multiple rifles needed to deliver the drug. The average weight of an adult male Bengal is close to 500 pounds, of an adult male lion in excess of 350 pounds.

These cats have the teeth and jaw strength to puncture a human skull with one bite. One cat on the loose is reason to warn residents to stay inside, while planning the best way to contain the danger. Thirty-five on the loose, plus bears and wolves, pretty much is a "nuke 'em from orbit" situation. Even putting out a call for trained wildlife experts takes time. Sure, put in a call to the Columbus zoo. How long do you think it would take for those with the necessary experience with large carnivores to assemble and make it to the so-called sanctuary? How many do you think are even extant in the Columbus area? One report said there was an animal sighting 10 miles from the guy's property. Some of those animals were on the move and needed to be stopped with expediency.

Well said!

Okay what would have been the chances of someone contracting the disease the monkey had? Very likely and what about all of the people in the world that hepatitis and other diseases, should they all be killed too? It really isn't any different. You know tranquilizers would have been easy to get from zoos, vets and other places to take out the animals instead of just plain shooting them. The animals did nothing wrong, they didn't release themselves and they shouldn't have all been killed because of the owners carelessness. Like I told someone else do you realize how many killers and rapists are out on the loose and are released from prison and they are roaming the streets, is that okay though? I don't see them all being killed.

Actually, katie, I know that tranquilizers and trained teams of people to apply them would be very difficult and time consuming for the local police to round up.

They did ask for help, and 6 of the animals are now at the Columbus Zoo - please read the article. Congratulations for this success.

It is sad that 18 Bengal tigers were killed, but these are probably inbred animals that were produced for the "pet" trade, purely for profit with no regard for animal health, welfare, bloodline, or survival of the endangered species.

yes Wally, but they've known for years the animals were there and occasionally even escaped. Wouldn't be a bad idea to at least have your Animal Control staff trained in the use of non-lethal force.

the sheriff has had a job to do for the years they knew this guy was collecting exotics that were illegal to own in that area. If he had done it some time ago this wouldn't have happened. I think they did the quickest, easiest and most effective thing but I don't have to like it, and I think the sheriff should be questioned as to why he allowed those animals to stay there illegally in the first place.

Thank Governor "Strychnine" (oops its Strickland) for this one he tied the hands of anyone who could have prevented it.

Hey Chup, what are you talking about??? Get your facts straight.

Kasich (R) is governor of Ohio now and he removed Strickland's emergency law from the books that would allow the sheriff to remove the animals with a warrant after this guy was jailed due to his disqualification as being mentally fit to be responsible for all them...by letting it expire last April. The sheriff said this had been a long term problem and that there had been incidents already, and complaints from concerned neighbors. In the interview, both the sheriff and Hanna mentioned strongly that they wanted the laws back on the books so that this could never happen again, they were sad and miserable about having to destroy these beautiful animals.

It was Kasich's removal of the emergency law that tied the hands of the sheriff from removing the animals and taking them to one of the official wildlife reserves or the zoos, which would have saved them and this situation most likely would not have happened.

Cleveland representative, Dennis Kucinich said it was preventable because of Kasich allowing the expiration of the emergency law in April. That is exactly true. Kasich questioned the business limits and enforceability of the law...well, it is not enforceable at all if it is expired. So now, after all the damage is done and complaints are in, Kasich suddenly agrees that they need to get a law back up on the books.

The kicker was they didn't even save the meat to feed the hungry. Buried 'em on the spot. Now that is wasteful on top of everything...

Yea, some baboon chops sound tasty right now!

The animals still belong to the owner, and his wife told the cops to bury the animals on his land. They had no legal right to confiscate the carcasses once they were dead and no longer a threat.

charger: I am glad that the officers were not thinking straight (as you say) and I am sure most of the people in that county were glad too because he probably saved a lot of lives!!!!!!!!!!

The kicker was they didn't even save the meat to feed the hungry.

You're up to eating lions and tigers ... and herpes infected monkeys? I don't think there are too many people THAT hungry.

can anyone suggest a wine that would go best with Bengal Tiger Steask served mid-rare

Charger496- Why don't you name a few ways YOU would have handled the situation?

Ever heard of tranquilizers? If they were able to easily shoot the animals as they did then they could have just as easily tranquilized the animals and transported them to zoos and rescues. Tranquilizers would have been easy to get from vets, zoos and so on. The animals did nothing wrong, the owner is the one that had problems and released them and of course the animals are going to run off. They were all worried about a monkey with herpes what really would have been the chances of a human contracting that from the monkey. People everywhere have herpes and other viruses and walking around everywhere. It just amazes me that when it comes to animals getting loose then people will just shoot them to get them out of the way but yet there are sick killers and rapists roaming the streets everywhere and many that get released from prison but I guess that's okay. I'm sure there are people that would have helped out to tranquilize the animals and help transport them. THAT would have been the smartest idea.

Well, you have animals on the loose, and do you think some rural sheriff's department has a bunch of tranquilizer darts and tranquilizer guns laying around? This is unfortunate, but public safety comes first....End of story.

I'd say your comment of thinking about a thousand other ways to handle this situation is a bit overblown! Maybe you have an opinion that can come up with 2 or 3 ideas, but a thousand?????

Katie do you have a tranq gun handy? Didn't think so. Do you at least have tranq meds? Wow strike 2. Nearest large supply of tranq and guns was 55 miles as the crow flies and the roads aren't crow friendly. Figure 2 hours on a good day... takes as long or longer to arrange a helicopter at that range. It's just after dinner so the kids just might be out playing?

To the TAZER types.. just what do you do when the tazer is turned off or runs out of juice? Now you have a few hundred lbs of really pissed and confused muscle that is going to strike the first thing it gets its hands on.

Howcum they didn't call Indiana Jones? Woulda been right up his line. Oh! Wait...

.

Katie: humans don't as often get herpes B. Not the same as getting a cold sore on your lip from putting your mouth somewhere it shouldn't have been. It's a lot more dangerous. I never like to see monkeys loose anyway, they are not pleasant animals and one of the few species who fight and kill for fun, just like their big hairless (comparatively speaking) counterparts. They have a lot of them proliferating in Florida and they are invasive, mean, and dirty.