lions and tigers and bears-hey LuAnn

[Indiana Karen]

I saw on the news that fifty wild animals were released by the owner who then committed suicide.  This was near Zanesville.  How far is that from you?

Karen

[Kittyzee]

A little over an hour away....jeez, I saw that on the news but now I'm kind of freaked out about it.        We're talking really wild animals here.  Male lions, white tiger, cheetahs, grizzly bears, etc.  What a scary situation.

 And it's not the fault of the poor animals--I'm sure they would have loved to have been treated and fed well too.   

Sounds like this guy had been repeatedly warned about the bad situation his animals were in.  You know, an hour isn't very far for a wild animal to travel.......

[Indiana Karen]

No, an hour isn't far............that's a little too close.

We have a rescue center near us. They have over 200 big cats. It is just a little over a mile from our son's home. It's really creepy when they all start roaring.

I hope they find all of them.  A few years ago a cougar escaped from here and they never did find it. Deer hunters see it occasionally. 

[mascot]

What a cowardly thing to do... endangering others like that.  IMHO, people should be given only one warning regarding neglect/abuse and the second time they get taken away.  You see or hear about it all the time with horses.

Maybe this will begin to set a precident on private ownership of [dangerous] wild animals.  I can't tell you how many times I've read or heard about someone wanting an exotic cat and then not being able to afford to feed or care for it later when it eats a couple hundred bucks a day of raw meat.  So many stories where people have tigers and then when they want to get rid of it the local zoos won't or can't take it in.

Leave the wild animal ownership to sanctuaries, zoos, Joan Embry, Jack Hannah, et al.

[Kittyzee]

I agree wholeheartedly on the subject of wild/exotic animal ownership Karen and Michael!  Why would you keep a wild animal in a cage anyway?  That's not how any of them should be kept. 

This guy turned all of his animals loose and then committed suicide.  There are 3 still on the loose.  Most, if not all, were shot.  I am totally DISGUSTED.  Jack Hannah was on the news, pleading with people to not and try and attempt to rescue any of them.  They are wild, hungry, and afraid.  Today it is raining here so they are easier to track.  There is a cougar, a bear, and a monkey still loose.   I wish it would set a precident on this kind of ownership too, but I doubt it.  Nobody seems to want to take the hard line on issues like this. 

[Indiana Karen]

There is a really good documentary "The Tiger Next Door" about a guy from Indiana that bred and sold tigers for years.  When they finally shut him down, the last of his cats went to the rescue near me.  The owner of the rescue (he appeared in the documentary) does a really good job taking care of them.  They are open to the public and give tours daily.  He has a lot of college students that volunteer there.  A lot of the cats come from drug dealers, he had one that had performed in Vegas.  We have been in his home and I actually got to bottle feed one of the tigers, Max.  He keeps abused and unwanted animals to live out their lives being well taken care of.  A part of me thinks it might be more humane to put them to sleep.

[ram]

They were about two hours away from where I live. Why couldn't they have just tranquilized them and relocated them or put them in a zoo? I don't think they should have just shot to kill them all...

[Kittyzee]

It came on the news tonight while we were eating.  Rows of the animals lined up all shot.  I am sick about it.  I'm speechless. 

[Oceanbum]

The thing that gets me is there is an exotic animal place in Zanesville called "The Wilds". They were on site helping with the search. If the guy knew he was done with his own life why didn't he at least spare the animals' lives and call either The Wilds or The Columbus Zoo and ask them if they would take them. Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't, who knows? But if they didn't I'm sure they would have helped him find a home for them. Especially given the fact he had 18 endangered Bengal tigers.