Lions, Tigers, Bears on the Loose in Ohio (Columbus, Cleveland: 2013, universities) - (OH) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

Missy.Rivers · 10-19-2011, 01:29 PM

It would have been more likely that a Zanesville resident would get hit by a bus or a car than to get attacked by one of these animals. Animals fear humans (and with good reason) and their instict would be to hide. If you look at past reports of wild animals escaping captivity, you would see that the animals look for cover, trees, and try to get away from humans. The logical thing to do would be to wait until daylight and then use trained animal professionals to track them with tranquilizers. Anyone with reason would have simply stayed indoors last night and opted not to take a walk in the park carrying raw steak. In broad daylight, wild animals are not prone to stalking humans in towns. They would want to flee. The sheriff, in my opinion, over reacted and declared open season on these animals when they could have been spared. But then again that would have taken money and resources to capture and relocate the animals. And it would have sure as hell taken all the fun out of the midnight hunt and prevented the sheriff from mounting the head a lion over his fireplace. Oh well, at least the local taxidermists will get some business, right?

CurlyFries · 10-19-2011, 01:34 PM

Terry Thompson was an idiot, I hear this was because of financial reasons for him. What he could of done was make his place into a public zoo and made a good amount of money out of it. But he had to be an idiot and end his own life and release a bunch of wild jungle animals into the public!

nativetexasgal · 10-19-2011, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Missy.Rivers

It would have been more likely that a Zanesville resident would get hit by a bus or a car than to get attacked by one of these animals. Animals fear humans (and with good reason) and their instict would be to hide. If you look at past reports of wild animals escaping captivity, you would see that the animals look for cover, trees, and try to get away from humans. The logical thing to do would be to wait until daylight and then use trained animal professionals to track them with tranquilizers. Anyone with reason would have simply stayed indoors last night and opted not to take a walk in the park carrying raw steak. In broad daylight, wild animals are not prone to stalking humans in towns. They would want to flee. The sheriff, in my opinion, over reacted and declared open season on these animals when they could have been spared. But then again that would have taken money and resources to capture and relocate the animals. And it would have sure as hell taken all the fun out of the midnight hunt and prevented the sheriff from mounting the head a lion over his fireplace. Oh well, at least the local taxidermists will get some business, right?

Couldn't agree more with everything you've written here. That wackadoodle sheriff overreacted. As I said, I'm from Texas and would expect that here. Texas is known for its "canned hunt" ranches, though surprisingly enough, killing captive lions, tigers, and other "exotics" is now banned. Texas ranches can still import African antelopes and other species so that "hunters" can experience the "thrill of a safari" right here in Texas. For some reason, I thought Ohio was a bit more advanced in thinking and sophistication. Shoot to kill, shoot to kill--that's the only way the sheriff could come up with to handle the situation? Many of these animals were majestic AND endangered--what a waste of beauty and God's creation.

Ghengis · 10-19-2011, 01:58 PM

These animals' fates were sealed when they were allowed to be placed in this knuckle-head's care and most likely with the help of "legitimate" resources such as zoos or other licensed breeding programs which provide the surplus of these exotics. Face it these resources wouldn't be available unless the gullible public weren't lining up to pay their admissions to look at the lions and tigers and bears oh my.

steel7 · 10-19-2011, 02:09 PM

Trigger happy cops. Discusting !
Sheriff lutz is a putz.
http://www.ohiomuskingumsheriff.org

Ghengis · 10-19-2011, 02:19 PM

1,600 exotic "pet" incidents across the US since 1990..."hey look at me, I'm kooky and own a tiger"

Exotic Pet Incidents Map

mike0421 · 10-19-2011, 02:24 PM

I have to weigh in here as well... this is a disgrace. Not just by Sheriff Putz, excuse me, Sheriff ("shoot to kill") Lutz, (who, by the way, sounds like he would have made a great deputy for Richard Daley's old man at the 1968 DNC) but to dig a little deeper, requiring further explication. Lack of sanity and judgment abound here, not just from this misguided sheriff but also from the state attorney general's office, right down to the current governor, who allowed an existing executive order to expire vis a vis the prohibition of individuals possessing a criminal record to own exotic animals. Attempt to separate partisanship or party identity when considering this action: the error here is palpable, and disgraceful. Essentially, the standing bill would have required forfeiting ownership of these animals, by the now-deceased, but clearly disturbed owner, Thompson. The man had a prior criminal record that entailed illegal possession of firearms, as well as animal cruelity. This is tantamout to allowing a convicted sex offender, released from prison, to serve as an Eagle Scout master. Where in the hell was the virtue of common sense, when it came to letting this bill expire? If I am Governor Kasich, I am reinstating that bill while offering up a "mea culpa".

There remains only a wolf and a monkey. Do the right thing, and tranquilize these animals. Set them back into the wild, and let them live.

abr7rmj · 10-19-2011, 02:33 PM

I'm embarrassed for Ohio that this yokel, shoot-first/ask questions later sheriff is portraying this state to a national and international audience. What a waste that these animals were just mowed down without the slightest effort being put into their safe capture and care. And people wonder why much of the rest of the country views us as backward, intolerant, untraveled rubes.

I've already received texts from incredulous friends/family in other parts of the country telling me not to let my dog out tonight or he would be shot.

An embarrassing over-response. Even more ridiculous is the sky-is-falling reaction from some people who think that tigers were going to be prowling the halls of local schools, stalking and eating poor little children while grizzly bears were mauling people in their backyards. Honestly ... turn off the TV and get out more.

nativetexasgal · 10-19-2011, 03:06 PM

Photos: Exotic animals loose in Muskingum County | The Columbus Dispatch

Here's the reality, Zanesville, Ohio. LOOK at what your law enforcement did. Step up and own it. Proud? I would be ashamed to be from your city.

What a bunch of yokels. Trigger happy doesn't even begin to describe your yokel of a sheriff in Zanesville. He didn't even TRY to come up with a better solution than shoot to kill.

Bengal tigers are ENDANGERED. What do your law enforcement not understand about that??? Look at how many of them were killed. Why in the world your city, county, and state governments didn't do something to avert this slaughter is something I will never understand.

When people in my state of Texas do stupid things, I step up and say, yes, what happened where I live (for example, the trial in Amarillo that Oprah Winfrey was forced to endure years ago because she "maligned" cattle) is stupid. Honest people call out and note the stupidity that goes on around them. Step up to the plate, Ohioans--today, your state looks ridiculous and stupid. Zanesville and its surrounding county seem to be run by a bunch of backwater yahoos. I hope you're proud!

nativetexasgal · 10-19-2011, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abr7rmj

I'm embarrassed for Ohio that this yokel, shoot-first/ask questions later sheriff is portraying this state to a national and international audience. What a waste that these animals were just mowed down without the slightest effort being put into their safe capture and care. And people wonder why much of the rest of the country views us as backward, intolerant, untraveled rubes.

I've already received texts from incredulous friends/family in other parts of the country telling me not to let my dog out tonight or he would be shot.

An embarrassing over-response. Even more ridiculous is the sky-is-falling reaction from some people who think that tigers were going to be prowling the halls of local schools, stalking and eating poor little children while grizzly bears were mauling people in their backyards. Honestly ... turn off the TV and get out more.

Couldn't agree with you more. I'm from Texas, and we've had our fair share of looking ridiculous to the world. Welcome to the club, Ohio.

I have mostly thought of Ohio as a state with fine cities I would enjoy visiting and beautiful countryside. I know there are ignorant people everywhere--"backward, intolerant, untraveled rubes"--but for some reason, I didn't think of Ohio that way. Now I do!