Lions And Tigers And Bears Oh..io.

Home > Lions And Tigers And Bears Oh..io.

It’s all in the news.

The owner of a small zoo in Ohio committed suicide after releasing some 56 animals from their enclosures. Several of the animals were potentially dangerous, including 18 tigers, lions, a wolf, and bears (grizzly and black bears). Schools were closed, businesses shut down, and motorists along the highway were warned to be alert for crossing wildlife. In short, it created quite the fiasco for several hours.

Because of the risk to public safety and the difficulties of safely capturing the animals, local law enforcement took the logical step of issuing a “shoot on sight” order.

When the smoke cleared, 49 of the animals were dead and the predictable, public relations crap storm ensued… is still ensuing.

I know it seems an awful shame to kill all of those animals, but dammit folks, they are not pets. As relatively recent events have shown, even a “tame” tiger or bear can turn deadly in a heartbeat. According to the reports, these were not considered tame animals. The reports also suggested that the animals weren’t necessarily kept in great condition, which can make big predators particularly dangerous. Into that mix, dump an unpredictable population of civilians, and you’ve got a recipe for real disaster. Even one human death would have been too much, especially if you’re the law enforcement officer charged with maintaining public safety.

The way the whole situation came into being is a sad shame, but in light of circumstances, it almost appears that this outcome was pretty much inevitable. The only way it could have been avoided was to take those animals away from the zoo owner a long time ago. Because the law didn’t provide for that at the time, the situation spiraled out of control until this.

Bottom line, folks need to stop blaming law enforcement for taking the actions they did. It was the only sensible thing. But if we want to be constructive, it’s time to take a closer look at the laws surrounding the possession and treatment of exotic animals.

No related posts.

Ingrid

Posted October 19, 2011 at 8:03 PM

Phillip, you and I agree on this. As tragic as this incident was, my understanding is that law enforcement had few options, especially considering the urgency of the situation and the timing of the release. I do hope this incident opens a genuine reexamination of those exotics possession laws.


Phillip Loughlin

Posted October 19, 2011 at 8:34 PM

Well, there’s a voice I never really expected, but glad to have you, Ingrid.

I’m actually not too surprised that we agree on this, and on the need to have some cleaner regulation around the possession of exotic animals. This should never have happened, especially given the history of problems this guy apparently had.

Thanks for dropping by, and for chiming in.

NorCal Cazadora

Posted October 19, 2011 at 9:02 PM

I agree – law enforcement is not to blame here. They did what they had to do.

But damn, it really sucks. I consider this a mass-murder/suicide, and it’s a damn shame the guy couldn’t just leave a note asking people to come take his animals away after he killed himself.

I know depression doesn’t work that way, but good lord, that’s a lot of innocent victims.

Donna Hornsby

Posted October 20, 2011 at 7:25 AM

I concur with all comments. Few options. Even Jack Hannah noted that tranq and capture was a limited option and not a good one at that. His words, “even if we had 40 tranq guns available, it can take 8-10 minutes for a large animal drop” –what happens when that animal drops out of site because trackers can’t keep up. I am not a hunter and as such I cannot look at the carnage. But I do understand the need for the action and I think your post is most mindful that we need not blame officials for this.


Phillip Loughlin

Posted October 20, 2011 at 10:10 AM

Thanks for the note, Donna.

Honestly, I was a little surprised to hear Jack Hanna chime in, but I’m glad he did. I think he’s pretty well respected by folks concerned with animal welfare. His voice was reasonable and, I think, absolutely right.

Hindsight is easy, by the way, but I sure do wish someone had stepped in more firmly earlier on… of course, I really don’t know how bad things really were at this guy’s place prior to this event. All I have is reports through the press, which is certainly not infallible.

Arthur

Posted October 25, 2011 at 7:37 PM

Amen, Phillip.

Law enforcement did the only logical thing they could go given the situation they were put in.

And, truly, the thing to do now is not chastise the individuals who made the right decision to kill most of those animals, but to take a good hard look at why people are allowed to own exotic animals as pets.


Phillip Loughlin

Posted October 26, 2011 at 8:19 AM

Arthur, I do think we need to take a hard look, but I’m not necessarily opposed to people owning exotic animals. I just think there need to be clear and consistent regulations around it. This case in Ohio is an example of poor regulation and lack of control. I don’t think the guy started out with bad intentions, but it just got out of hand. Sort of like these stories we always hear about the “Cat lady”.

Lions And Tigers And Bears Oh..io.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Phillip Loughlin

Blogroll

Fish and Game Contacts

General

Outdoor Industry and Media

Outdoor News

Outfitters I've Used

Web Forums

Archives
Categories