Widow of exotic animal keeper in Zanesville may get animals back

[OhioChick]

Source: Newsnet5.com

Zoo says it cannot stop her from taking animals

Posted: 9:42 AM

CLEVELAND - The widow of the man who freed exotic animals from his property before taking his own life could get the surviving animals back as soon as Thursday.

In a news release from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, zoo officials said they had no legal rights to keep the animals, and removed them from the Zanesville farm with permission from Marian Thompson.

Now, Thompson's attorneys contacted the zoo and said she plans to take the animals back.

The animals involved are three leopards, two Celebes macaques and a young grizzly bear.

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/state/widow-of-exotic-...

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Snip~ "Unfortunately, the current laws do not protect the animals and at this time we have no legal right to stop them from being taken from the zoo."

[ixion]

1. well, the ones that weren't slaughtered for no reason by the trigger happy cops

at least.

[bigworld]

4. Aww, not this argument again.

The police had one duty that day: to protect the public. Where there are dozens of lions and tigers running loose in a residential area, I would want them to shoot them without delay. The HSUS and the Cincinnati Zoo have both said that the officers acted correctly.

These animals -- many of whom were kept in cars, and cages meant for domestic dogs -- would likely have had to be euthanized anyway and could never have been rehabilitated by a zoo in the first place.

Hold your anger for the person who kept these beautiful animals in such conditions, not the cops who were doing their job.

[ixion]

5. whatever... duty. meh.

They got to get their killin' bag on, end of story.

The animals could have been captured alive.

[OhioChick]

7. I live in Ohio where this story had wall to wall coverage....

The cops did what they had to do....protect the public. I love animals myself, but had this been in my backyard, I would've wanted them to do the same thing.

The Humane Society agrees.

[sarcasmo]

14. +1

[Lorien]

19. Tranquilizer guns would have been a better option

and I spent 25 years in Ohio; I can assure you that some of those cops will be bragging about thier "big game kills" for decades to come.

[OhioChick]

24. They had 4 tranquilizer guns and one vet on hand, not enough n/t

[kestrel91316]

43. God, not this stale stuff again. M99 is FAR too dangerous for untrained cops to

be running around with. Mere skin contact with it can KILL HUMANS. It is up to 80,000X more powerful than morphine. One may not use or even possess it without a DEA registration, and even we vet students were merely told about it in vet school and shown the equipment from a safe distance. None of us were permitted to handle/use it WHATSOEVER.

To safely use M99, you MUST have an idea of the animal's weight and when it last ate, also.

"Tranquilizer" guns were not remotely feasible here. This was discussed ad infinitum at the time. I am not going to bother to hunt down the links for you other than this:

http://opioids.com/etorphine/immobilon.html

[PavePusher]

10. Explain how that would work, and the resources needed, and where they were to come from.

If all that was readily available, you might have a talking point. Until then, you are blaming the wrong parties.

[Lorien]

20. Animal control and the Columbus Zoo have plenty of tranquilizer guns

and experts on hand; a couple of calls would have done it. Suddenly the police are above questioning and the media's word is final? Please!

[PavePusher]

22. The problems with tranking animals was explained pretty thouroughly...

in the previous thread on this. It's a very difficult process. And with 50+ animals loose, how long will it take to get enough resources into place?

Perhaps you could come up with some specific plans and timetables, rather than general platitudes?

[MisterP]

27. well, obviously the police chiefs proved themselves the model of good planning

and we should trust in thier good judgment of "necessity"

[PavePusher]

29. I'm not sure anybody has a plan to deal with 50+ escaped/loose animals, mostly predatory....

released by a suicidal madman.

I still haven't seen the police-blamers present a plan, other than , "they should have done... something!"

Noteably few of them have volunteered to rush to the rescue if this should happen again....

[kestrel91316]

44. 50+ animals loose requires 50+ experts and 50+ tranq guns, and then

the danger of accidentally shooting a human or non-targeted animal in the dark was high.

Skin contact with M99 can be lethal to humans. It is far and away the most dangerous drug in existence.

[titaniumsalute]

13. I have two boys 6 and 12. I used to live in Ohio

If that were my neighborhood I would have had no problems with what the police did. I grew up on a farm, respect animals, have my share of dog, cat and fish. But public safety is #1. Can you imagine if some kid got mauled and the police didn't take a shot? They would be public enemy #1. No offense, but "sorry about the kid but at least the bear lived" is not a line I want to read in the newspaper about one of my boys.

[dbackjon]

21. You have no clue, really you don'/t

[ixion]

23. more than you, apparently. n/t

[dbackjon]

28. not at all. You're anti-cop screeds are old and tiresome

The cops did the only reasonable thing they could.


You could stand to learn.

[ixion]

33. violent, abusive cops are what is old.

It needs to end, and I'll keep saying so until it does end.

[dbackjon]

35. So every action any cop takes is wrong?

Hope you never need one to help you.


Are there bad cops? yes. But 99% of cops are trying to do the right thing.

Painting all cops with your biases hurts your cause, not helps.

[ixion]

39. 99%? Hardly. At BEST maybe 1 in 10 are okay.

the rest are scum. A good cop is the exception, not the rule.

[dbackjon]

40. There really is no need to waste time on someone like you.

Ignore

[kestrel91316]

45. There was ZERO police "violence" or "abuse" here. Please explain to me in

detail the safe use of M99 in this situation. You have mere minutes to respond.

Quickly, now. Dozens of large, hungry predators are loose and homes with children are nearby.

[PavePusher]

30. Please detail what should have occured....

and what it would take to have effected your solution in time, manpower, funds and equipment. Or, in other words, show us your "clue".

We'll wait....

[ixion]

34. get a life...

I owe you nothing. Suffice to say it was entirely feasible to trap and/or tranquilize the animals. Shooting them should be a last option, not a first.

[dbackjon]

36. This statement shows you have absolutely no clue.

[ixion]

38. I've got more of a clue than you do, apparently

if you think the ONLY solution is killing them.

[dbackjon]

41. For most of them, yes, that was the BEST solution

Clueless yo uare

[kestrel91316]

46. You have NO idea what you are talking about. Your ignorance about the

use of M99 is glaringly obvious.

[PavePusher]

47. I ask again....

please explain how this should have occured.

Facts, please, without emotion or hand-wringing.

[kestrel91316]

42. Sorry that you seem to have ignored everything everybody knowledgeable about

M99 use told you repeatedly at the time......

[snooper2]

25. Too bad you weren't there with your net and khaki shorts to catch them

Would you look more like Patrick or Bob?

[FSogol]

2. The do have a legal right: Public Safety. Seize the animals and send her a bill for their care &

boarding. Offer to waive the bill if she relinquishes the rights to the animals.

[wordpix]

8. +1, also charge her for the police hours involved AND cruelty to animals violations

[PavePusher]

9. She was not the one who turned out the animals.

The responsible party is dead.

Perhaps you weren't paying attention?

[FSogol]

15. She's trying to claim the property.

Perhaps you weren't paying attention.

[idiotgardener]

17. No, she was one of the ones that kept them in deplorable conditions

[wordpix]

49. keeping large exotic animals in small cages is animal cruelty - fine her big time for that

Did she feed them properly, clean their cages, give them any exercise, give them clean water regularly? Reports I've read say not and the quarantine at the zoo the animals are currently under is due to the possible diseases they may have from the deplorable conditions they were kept in.

[wordpix]

50. "animals could possibly be infected with disease as result of conditions in which they were held"

snip: the animals could possibly be infected with a disease as a result of the conditions in which they were previously held.

I'm paying attention. Apparently, you're not if you think these animals should go back to that animal abuser. She's just as guilty as her husband; she lived with the animals in these conditions and did nothing to stop the animal cruelty she and her husband perpetrated.

[Ian David]

3. She must miss Herpes Monkey. n/t

[MADem]

6. Charge her up the ass for their room and board--that'll slow her down. NT

[TwilightGardener]

11. Oh for the love of God.

[Dover]

12. Noooooooooooooooooo!

I hope the MINUTE they change the laws they will take the animals back to the zoo or reserve or whatever.
She clearly does not have the animal's best interest at heart.

[backscatter712]

16. Get those animals to a real sanctuary.

There are dumbass operations like this one, and there are professional operations with lots of land, vet-care, correct diet, etc. that the animals need.

[valerief]

18. Seems like the current laws do not protect the public either. nt

[Blue_Tires]

26. She probably thinks she can get some cash for them...

Especially now since she's broke and widowed...

But I am suprised there isn't some health/public safety issue that could be cited if that woman even came within 50 feet of a rat

[and-justice-for-all]

31. It is pretty fucked up to NOT have a ban on having such animals

in a residence.

[Crabby Appleton]

32. Ohio Agriculture Dept order prevented her from picking them up

POWELL, Ohio - The Ohio Department of Agriculture issued a quarantine on Thursday to block the transportation of six released exotic animals from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium back to a Muskingum County exotic animal farm.

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2011/10/27/zanesvil...

[frogmarch]

37. Good.

from your link:

According to the ODA , the (quarantine) order was issued because the animals could possibly be infected with a disease as a result of the conditions in which they were previously held.

The order is effective indefinitely and prohibits the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium from releasing or moving the animals to Thompson, the ODA said.

Thompson will be able to appeal the quarantine order and is entitled to a hearing within 30 days.

[red dog 1]

48. Why Didn't the Humane Society Seek To Close Down This "Farm" Long Ago?