Talk about a real wild life experience! Last month, a pack of wild animals including Bengal tigers, lions and bears (oh my) were let loose in Zanesville, Ohio. Apparently, they were set free on purpose by their owner, Terry Thompson, before he killed himself.
According to abcnews, Officers feared that the animals would head towards civilians and therefore made the decision to shoot and kill them upon sight. After the slew, over 49 animals were put down “including 18 Bengal tigers, 17 lions, six black bears, a pair of grizzlies, three mountain lions, two wolves and a baboon”.
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.
Abcnews also reported that Thompson had just been released from prison after serving a one year sentence for federal weapons charges before he released his animals and committed suicide. Six animals, none of which were the soon to be extinct Bengal tiger, were still secured in their cages and were later taken to the Columbus Zoo. Thankfully, no one other than the potentially life-threatening animals were injured during this incident.
