This lady is wildin’ for respect, making a request like this. The widow of Ohio man who released more than 50 exotic animals from his farm before killing himself wants the surviving creatures back. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
@WiL
The wild animals – three leopards, two Celebes macaques and a young grizzly bear – could be sent back to her Zanesville farm as early as Thursday, according to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
“We had hoped Thompson would leave the animals at the zoo in the care of our team of professionals,” Columbus Zoo and Aquarium CEO and President Dale Schmidt said in a statement released Thursday.
“We are trying to get authorization from government authorities and agencies to ensure they stay at the zoo,” he said. “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.”
The six animals were the only ones to survive after their owner, 61-year-old Terry Thompson, released them from their enclosures on Oct. 20 before taking his own life.
Sheriff’s deputies had to kill 49 wild animals, including several lions, Bengal tigers and bears.
The laws in Ohio regarding exotic animals have come under close scrutiny following the tragedy in Zanesville.
“It’s up to the states to pass strong laws prohibiting the citizens that live there from keeping these dangerous exotics,” Adam Roberts, executive vice president of Born Free USA, told ABC News. “Ohio is one of the bad actors as far as we’re concerned – a state that has very limited regulations on the keeping of exotic animals, especially as pets.”
