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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.
© 10tv.comMuskingum County Animal Farm location.
There were multiple sightings of exotic animals along Interstate 70, police said.
Muskingum Sheriff Matt Lutz said resident safety is his primary concern.
"We want our citizens to take any and all precautions they can tonight," said Lutz. "Our number one priority is nobody gets hurt out of this ordeal. This is a bad situation."
Police said staff from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds were on scene, hoping to tranquilize the animals and return them to safety.
The Licking County Sheriff's Office said they had received at least four reports of exotic animal sightings at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
As a precaution the Licking County Sheriff's Office said they had activated members of its SWAT team who were equipped with night vision and the weapons necessary to deal with the animals.
Reader Comments
the exotic animals mostly lost. The latest news report said deputies had to shoot numerous animals at close range with their side arms - most on the way to the farm. The farm owner apparently let all the animals loose and then committed suicide. He had permits for all the animals as of last year. Jack Hanna of the Columbus Zoo said the sheriff did the right think issuing a shoot to kill order - that it is very difficult even under the best of circumstances to tranquilize a wild animal - and certainly not at night, in the rain, with formerly caged/cared for animals suddenly turned loose to fend for themselves. Fortunately, they had been fed the day they were turned loose. Hanna indicated he had lost a dear friend, a veterinarian, attempting to tranquilize a Bengal tiger - it leapt 18 ft upon the man and killed him.
Currently, a cougar, a bear, and a monkey are still loose. Some animals were captured but most were shot and killed. Of course, the animals did not deserve such a fate - but as long as people are given permits to keep wild, exotic animals, tragedies such as this can continue to occur.
56 animals let loose from the 73 acre farm; 49 killed - 6 rescued:
Killed -
18 rare Bengal tigers
9 male lions
8 lionesses
6 black bears
2 grizzly bears
3 mountain lions
2 wolves
1 baboon
Rescued -
one grizzly bear, three leopards and two macaques (a breed of monkey)
Still unaccounted for: 1 snow monkey with Herpes B virus - may have been eaten by one of the other animals.
Jack Hanna is receiving death threats - apparently some folks don't see the danger of 38 wild lions, 8 bears, 3 leopards, 2 wolves, and numerous baboons/monkeys running loose in the dead of night in close proximity to I-70, might pose to vulnerable humans.
There are reports that more monkeys/baboons and alligators were kept in the house and weren't let loose.