It's 12pm on the dot as I compose this and a grizzly bear, mountain lion and a monkey are still on the loose there after authorities hunted down as many as 51 wild zoo animals, who had been set free by the owner of an animal preserve before killing himself. I know, very bizarre.
Muskingum (yup, you read that right) County Sheriff Matt Lutz told reporters he can't be 100% sure that those three animals are the only species unaccounted for. Lutz and ABC News' wildlife expert Jack Hanna, who will take the living animals at the preserve to the Columbus Zoo, urged the public to remain cautious.
"If you see these animals you do not run," said Hanna, who added he is most concerned about the mountain lion, since those animals have "great leaping ability."
The animals' cages were ALLEGEDLY opened up by Terry Thompson, who owned an animal preserve in Zanesville. Thompson killed himself after freeing his menagerie, Lutz said. Reports read as many as 51 wild animals, including cheetahs, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, lions, a white Siberian tiger, camels and giraffes were running free in Zanesville, which has a population of about 25,000 residents. Police said that orangutans and chimps were found in Thompson's home, but they were still in their cages.
Thompson has been warned repeatedly over the last decade to get his animals under control – and no less than 30 times in the past year. He was arrested in April of 2005 for cruelty and torture of cattle and bison he had on his property, according to the website pet-abuse.com. He was charged with one count of having an animal at large, two counts of rendering animal waste and one count of cruelty to animals.
Now, every morning when I wake up, I immediately turn on Good Morning America, just so I can get a sense of the temperature for the day, since they so conveniently keep the clock/temp meter in the lower right hand corner of my television screen...not to mention to stay up on my news. However, I also find it convenient that the story reported this morning varies significantly from the one reported HERE, by the same group.
This morning, it was reported that the animals were loose and roaming some Ohio streets, and the private zoo keeper, Terry Thompson was found dead at the scene. It was ALSO reported that the sheriff had given specific order to "shoot to kill." That instantly grabbed my attention. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why DEATH was an option? Now it seems the story has changed, and "we're getting them back to a safe reserve." Right... Miss me again. And don't believe everything you hear and/or read viewers. The media is real.
SCREAM @ ME!!!
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