BatmansWife Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Wow! If you're near Columbus Ohio STAY INSIDE!!! I'd be so freaked out I wouldn't let anyone out the front door....which would be locked and possibly barricaded too! :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I read that this morning. What a terrible thing to happen. I imagine all those animals will be shot. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Zanesville is 2 hours east of Columbus ... and at least two counties away. If I lived near Zanesville, I'd be more concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Scary! But it's a pity they couldn't have been tranquilized instead of shot dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelissaMinNC Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 :svengo: and also :sad: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amirah Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 my mom just told me about this because she lives not far from there. i hope everything is going to be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Scary, yes, but think of the potential Science lesson! "Mommy, there's a Cheetah in the backyard!" It would certainly be a once-in-a-lifetime moment, that's for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicagoshannon Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I wonder what happened to the guy. They just said found dead. I wonder if someone killed him and then opened all of the cages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I wonder what happened to the guy. They just said found dead. I wonder if someone killed him and then opened all of the cages. Exactly what I was thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Jessica* Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Stories like that freak me out! We live close to an exotic animal rescue sanctuary (the quote below is from their website) so finding a tiger in the backyard is not outside the realm of possibility! I also don't understand why they aren't tranquilizing instead of shooting to kill. Since its inception our facility has housed many species including big cats: African and Asian Lions, Siberian (Amur) and Bengal Tigers, African Leopards; as well as North American Black Bears; Timber and Alaskan Interior Wolves; Silver and Northern Red Foxes. We currently provide a home for 12 tigers, 2 lions, 3 bears, 3 wolves, 3 fox, as well as non-exotics such as dogs, cats, and horses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 My kids have been trying to figure out all morning how long it would take various animals to travel from Zanesville to our home (about 130 miles away or so I'm guessing). . . . a couple of my middle kids were trying to convince me that it was dangerous for them to go out to the barn to take care of the chickens this morning because of the threat . . . :) On the other hand, I am curious exactly what kind of cats escaped because they could probably travel pretty far in a couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 My kids have been trying to figure out all morning how long it would take various animals to travel from Zanesville to our home (about 130 miles away or so I'm guessing). . . . a couple of my middle kids were trying to convince me that it was dangerous for them to go out to the barn to take care of the chickens this morning because of the threat . . . :) On the other hand, I am curious exactly what kind of cats escaped because they could probably travel pretty far in a couple of days. Word problem of the year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidiyaDawn Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Scary! But it's a pity they couldn't have been tranquilized instead of shot dead. I don't understand why they have to kill them at all .. if they can shoot them with a bullet-gun, then they can shoot them with a tranquilizer-gun. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 Zanesville is 2 hours east of Columbus ... and at least two counties away. If I lived near Zanesville, I'd be more concerned. Yeah...I didn't even look it up to see how far Zanesville was from Columbus. I wonder why they kept saying to be careful if you were in Columbus?? :confused: If I lived anywhere in Ohio, I'd find Zanesville on a map and mark a radius around there and not go anywhere near it....but I don't know how far that radius would be. I wonder what happened to the guy. They just said found dead. I wonder if someone killed him and then opened all of the cages. Another report came in later on the Today Show saying that the man opened all the cages and killed himself. I really don't know how they can know that though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I just read an AP article about this a few minutes ago. The article said the man committed suicide after freeing the animals. Authorities are shooting to kill rather than tranquilizing because they fear the animals will be able to run for cover and hide before the tranquilizer kicks in. They fear the animals could awaken and travel on before they could be found. I don't like killing animals, either, but I do think they are keeping the human population's safety at the forefront of their decision. Sad, scary, and tragic all at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 My guess on the 'shoot to kill' vs 'tranquilizer gun' is that tranquilized animals are sometimes more dangerous than a 'normal' animal. There is no way to know how an animal is going to act when tranquilized. They may run for a short distance and then roll over, putting themselves and the workers at greater risk. The animal can run into traffic and cause horrible accidents or lunge at someone who wasn't even close to where the animal was tranquilized. It is too unpredictable to tranquilize an animal in a city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorien Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Actually, Zanesville is 55.4 miles (according to Google Maps) from Columbus - about an hour's drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I wonder what happened to the guy. They just said found dead. I wonder if someone killed him and then opened all of the cages. I was thinking the same thing when I read about it this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 Actually, Zanesville is 55.4 miles (according to Google Maps) from Columbus - about an hour's drive. Well, then I'd be worried if I were in Columbus too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I was thinking the same thing when I read about it this morning. The latest news story said it was a suicide. And I think if that's true, that guy was a complete JERK. This story and the story about the guy from the south who was "intimate" with his neighbor's German Shepherd popped up on HuffPost first for me this morning. All done news for the day! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 If you've ever had a general anesthesia, you'll remember how carefully the doctor weighed and measured you to determine to proper dosage so as not to anesthetize you to death. Also, when a human is "tranquilized" to the point of unconciousness, as for surgery, he is often given mechanical assistance in breathing. It's a tricky business to determine the right amount of tranquilizer for an animal. It's tricky for zoo veterinarians dealing with exotic animals that aren't frequently tranquilized - there aren't a million previous outcomes to establish a safe and effective standard dose. In the current situation, the officials tracking these escapees don't know exactly what animals are even out there, much less the current weight and previous health history of each. Guesswork tranquilization often results in animal death anyway. Every major zoo in the country has an on-staff shooting team trained to respond to kill if the vet's tranq dart misses the mark and there is any danger of public risk. Human life must be considered a priority. The animal deaths are a tragedy, but, IMO, no less a tragedy than the way they were locked up in cages (and then released!!!!) by a crazy private zookeeper in the first place. He's the one responsible for their deaths. AuntieM (who in a previous life was in the zoo business) Scary! But it's a pity they couldn't have been tranquilized instead of shot dead. Stories like that freak me out! We live close to an exotic animal rescue sanctuary (the quote below is from their website) so finding a tiger in the backyard is not outside the realm of possibility! I also don't understand why they aren't tranquilizing instead of shooting to kill. I don't understand why they have to kill them at all .. if they can shoot them with a bullet-gun, then they can shoot them with a tranquilizer-gun. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 They did say they tried to tranquilize one of the big cats, but he went crazy and they had to shoot to kill before they lost him. Jack Hanna is there and he's saying that it's very hard to tranquilize during the day and at night, in a public area, would be almost impossible. There were a few monkeys still inside the house and they will be taken to the Columbus Zoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I also read that if the tranq hits bone it (obviously) won't be absorbed properly if at all and since the animals were thin they had a better chance of hitting bone than flesh. Also read that the tranq'ed cat went down and when the vet went in the cat charged her and was shot to protect her. Everyone would be squawking if one of the tranq'ed cats had killed a child. Poor cops can't win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 I was telling my oldest dd about this story shortly before she left for work. When she got home she was telling me how she told everyone at work about the story and it led to quite a discussion. The girls (teens) were all worried that the animals would head in our direction. After work my dd gave a girl a ride home (this was late and it was dark) and the girl was a little afraid to walk from dd's car to her house. I had to laugh....because we are about 840 miles NW of Zanesville OH. :lol: My dd was relieved this morning when I was able to report that all the animals have been accounted for.....which is pretty amazing that they found them all an no human was injured or killed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Jessica* Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 If you've ever had a general anesthesia, you'll remember how carefully the doctor weighed and measured you to determine to proper dosage so as not to anesthetize you to death. Also, when a human is "tranquilized" to the point of unconciousness, as for surgery, he is often given mechanical assistance in breathing. It's a tricky business to determine the right amount of tranquilizer for an animal. It's tricky for zoo veterinarians dealing with exotic animals that aren't frequently tranquilized - there aren't a million previous outcomes to establish a safe and effective standard dose. In the current situation, the officials tracking these escapees don't know exactly what animals are even out there, much less the current weight and previous health history of each. Guesswork tranquilization often results in animal death anyway. Every major zoo in the country has an on-staff shooting team trained to respond to kill if the vet's tranq dart misses the mark and there is any danger of public risk. Human life must be considered a priority. The animal deaths are a tragedy, but, IMO, no less a tragedy than the way they were locked up in cages (and then released!!!!) by a crazy private zookeeper in the first place. He's the one responsible for their deaths. AuntieM (who in a previous life was in the zoo business) Ok, that makes sense. Thank you for responding. Hopefully Ohio will make some changes to their exotic animal laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 IMHO it should be against the law for individuals to own these type of animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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