Posted on 10/18/2011 10:40:45 PM PDT by TaraP
ZANESVILLE, Ohio - Several schools announced that they will not have school on Wednesday after exotic animals escaped a Muskingum County animal farm.
The schools are: Maysville Local Schools, Zanesville City Schools, Foxfire Community Schools and West Muskingum Local Schools.
Police said they had shot at least 25 of at least 48 escaped exotic animals on Tuesday night.
Terry Thompson, the owner of the farm, was found dead outside of his home on the animal farm property.
Police said the fences had been left unsecured.
According to police, the animals escaped at about 6 p.m. from an animal farm near Kopchak Road.
Police would not comment on what animals escaped but said the animal farm did have lions, wolves, cheetahs, tigers, giraffes, camels, grizzly bears and black bears.
“It’s been a bad situation for a long time and the last thing we want to do is to have any of our public hurt,” said Muskingum Sheriff Matt Lutz. “No young kids should go outside tonight.”
According to police, bears and wolves had been shot and killed.
There were multiple sightings of exotic animals along Interstate 70, police said.
Muskingum Sheriff Matt Lutz said resident safety is his primary concern.
SPECIAL
10/18/11 20:39 (ZANESVILLE - ) UPDATE: UP TO 48 ANIMALS MISSING FROM EXOTIC ANIMAL FARM, OSP HELI. ASSISTING. FARM OWNER FOUND DEAD ON ARRIVAL/DECEASED [OHI051]
SPECIAL
10/18/11 19:57 (ZANESVILLE - ) MUTIPLE LIONS, A TIGER AND A BLACK BEAR, ESCAPED AND CURRENTLY LOOSE, S/O ADVISES AVOID AREA [OHI051]
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?ctid=2099
>> MUTIPLE LIONS, A TIGER AND A BLACK BEAR
Oh my!
Sheriff siad they Killed 3 Wolves and 1 Bear, Cheetahs are on the loose...
He also said they are Big Cats and Agressive...
>MUTIPLE LIONS, A TIGER
The entire country is now one big safari.
With a season bag limit of 6 deer for that area, seems like there is plenty of prey for them to live on.
What a perfect photo opportunity for our Deer Leader Obambi to reroute his big bus to Ohio, load his guns, and save the children by shooting...oh, never mind.
I wish Odumbo would do that, I’m rooting for the hungry lion.
Cheetahs are very fast. Hard to shoot and kill. They could be miles away by now.
They are fast only for very short spurts.
A good hunting dog would be able to cover more ground.
They are used to very long treks and the cats are out of shape for that sort of movement.
They need to bring in some big game people and dogs.
So, did some PETA freak kill the guy and turn them loose or did the animals get loose and kill him?
What was that guy allowed to have all of those animals in that environment ?
Oh, what fun/NOT
As for hard to shoot and hard to kill, Cheetahs are actually quite easy to shoot and kill. In Southern Africa (parts of South Africa and Botswana) there are farmers who take them down (due to scaring their livestock and sometimes picking off young animals and sheep - cheetah are too small and weak to take down grown cattle), and they are extremely easy to shoot. Moreover, because of their light and small frames (due to speed necessities cheetahs are light and streamlined) any hit tends to be a lethal hit. Finally, because they do not hunt dangerous game (again, due to their frame and size) they do not have the tactics necessary for making them hard to hit - the cheetah strategy is basically get as close as possible to the prey (small gazelles in most cases, although two or more male cheetahs - in the rare occasions it is more than one cheetah - have been known to take down the occasional stupid to be taken down by a cheetah, and it has to be stupid, wildebeest), and once it is close enough it goes into one of the most amazing high speed chases one can see.
Now, if you are talking about cats that are hard to shoot and kill, the top candidates would be lions, tigers and leopards (with leopards being at the top of the list in terms of how hard it is to kill one, how hard it is to shoot one, and how likely it is to get you ...even though the leopard is smaller than the lion or tiger ...all three are larger than cheetahs btw). Those three cats will hit you without you seeing them, in many cases they will come from behind or from the sides at oblique angles, they will accelerate very quickly and come in low and fast, there will be no growl or roar or warning sign (unlike a cheetah which is afraid of you due to its size and will try to frighten you with growls and snarls and miaows and chirps ...yes, cheetahs miaow like housecats and chirp like birds and cannot roar ...the three big cats will not make a sound as they charge you), and by the time you know it you will have a large beast almost at you. That makes them hard to shoot. As for hard to kill, they will have such a huge upsurge of adrenalin, and already so much oxygen in their bloodstream, that big game hunters in Africa have been known to shoot leopards and lions in the heart (a lethal hit that shreds the pumping organ) but the cat still manages to make it to the shooter/hunter, bring him down, and proceed to rearrange his viscera at leisure before dying. Of the three the reason the leopard is the worst is that it is shyer and will thus immediately hide, and the only thing worse than a leopard in the bush is a wounded Cape Buffalo in the bush or a black mamba in the bed, and even then it is not certain. A leopard in the bush that is after you is guaranteed (take-it-to-the-bank guaranteed) to get you, which is why many hunters that had to take down (say wounded) leopards used to wear a 'leopard suit' (which looked like a mishmash of medieval armor) and carried shotguns (because when that streak of greased spotted lightning shoots towards you from 15 feet away you will not have time to aim a rifle). Even then, it is guaranteed to leave scars. The advantage is that you have slightly less of a chance of dying (if it is a lion coming for you, and it is within a certain distance, you are basically dead. Effective lion shooting calls for shooting the cat from a long way off in a flat savannah type of terrain, not in some thicket where the cat could be laying flat 9 feet from you and you have no idea. That's a nice way to get killed).
Anyways, if these guys shoot a cheetah just know they did it for fun. Cheetahs are virtually harmless (I've been around a number of them, including wild ones) and their bite is actually quite weak, and their claws very dull (because they cannot retract them). I would not be afraid of facing the most 'vicious' (and that is an overstatement) male cheetah alone and unarmed because, even unarmed, I would be a far greater threat to it than it would to me. They are easy to shoot, and easy to kill.
On the other hand, a tiger/lion/leopard that is up to no good is another different matter. If one of the 'brave' troopers shoots down a lion or leopard or tiger that will be very understandable, since the danger posed by them can be very real. There are some leopards in India that killed hundreds, and in Africa leopards are feared more than lions in some areas (although when lions become true man eaters rather than simply opportunists they have an almost demonic intelligence).
However ...cheetahs ...I would honestly fear your average mountain lion or an angry golden retriever to a much larger extent.
Every cage was left opened...
They are not sure what happened....
48 animals escaped....
I’ve read the guy that ran the wildlife place had a prison record. If ex-cons are not allowed to own dangerous weapons, then why was he allowed to own lions/tigers/bears. All he had to do is open cages and walk away.
There are indications that this guy had a history of troubles. My guess is that he let them loose himself, and suffered the consequences.
As for dogs ...interesting note about dogs and cats (leopards in this case). Leopards have an amazing taste for canines. In leopard territory dogs can have a very short and 'interesting' life. Actually, if dogs start disappearing in that area (and especially being found in trees) that is a sure sign that a leopard made it to freedom.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.