Lions, tigers and bears, oh no
It's a zoo out there: Exotic animal massacre in Ohio shows that Waller had iteasy with monkeys
Before wildlife preserve owner Terry Thompson killed himself, he freed hismenagerie of exotic animals. But why?Photo via AJC News
Lions in your front yard in Ohio? Now that's something you don't see every day.Photo via Kentucky.com
You might want to pay attention to the signage, Ohio.Photo via AJC News
And you thought the wild monkeys cavorting around Waller and Montgomery County were bad. Those Texas wildfire escapees are nothing compared to what Ohio dealt with.
Try having to stay home from school and needing to heed highway signs flashing, "Caution Exotic Animals," and "Stay In Vehicle." Those signs, of course, referred to the lions, tigers and bears (and wolves, leopards and monkeys) running amuck outside a small Ohio town.
Now you can understand what it's been like in rural Zanesville, Ohio the last few days.
In a confusing tale, Muskingum County Animal Farm owner Terry Thompson released his exotic menagerie of wild animals shortly before he committed suicide by shooting himself. His inexplicable liberation of the large lot forced the disoriented beasts to fend for themselves on the mean streets of southeast Ohio.
Forty nine of the 56 released exotic animals have been shot and killed by law enforcement personnel and the hunt's been called off with the rest accounted for — with the exception of perhaps a lone monkey. Two wolves, six black bears, two grizzly bears, 17 lions, one baboon, three mountain lions and 18 Bengal tigers were killed.
Six animals — a grizzly, two monkeys and three leopards — were captured and taken to the Columbus Zoo for evaluation.
"Our main priority right now is protecting our public," Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said in a press conference.
The questions surrounding Thompson's actions and the resulting animal massacre are endless.
While Muskingum County battles its own demons, we'd love to give its residents a friendly piece of advice: Lay off the bananas on duct tape leashes, and keep your candy bars to yourselves. Lutz believes that the missing monkey may have been eaten by one of the other escaped exotic animals, but acknowledges he cannot be sure. There have been no sightings of the monkey.
Monkeys can be tricky though. Trust us. Waller and Montgomery County learned the hard way.
