Sheriff Must Share Blame in Killing of Endangered Animals

[drakonyx]

Many people are blaming the late Terry Thompson for neglecting the exotic animals on his property in a tragedy that left 49 of them dead. He deserves it. But don't absolve the county sheriff and his posse-cum-safari hunters of their part in this tragedy. Their policy seemed to be “shoot first and ask questions later." Those questions need to be asked - and answered - now.

http://www.theprovocation.net/2011/10/sheriff-must-share-blame-in-killing-of.html

[Swede]

1. This guy must be a dolt.

This was handled in the only way possible.

[aquart]

2. Hardly.

And no, I don't buy Jack Hanna's excuses.

[Swede]

3. What would you have done differently?

Ohio isn't Disneyland. These animals are carnivores,hungry carnivores. Loose and spreading out fast to an unsuspecting public.

[aquart]

10. Yeah. Hungry. USE FOOD.

Jesus H. Christ. That's how you catch anything.

[Swede]

12. So you walk out there with raw meat,among dozens of predators.

Brilliant!!

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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[Swede]

15. This isn't a movie on tv.

The acted quickly and correctly.

[yellowcanine]

21. I am wondering about the logistics of that. Drive up to a bunch of tigers with a trunkload of meat?

That doesn't sound like a viable plan to me and given the immediacy of the situation I don't see that they would have had time to implement a more complex plan than that.

[Poll_Blind]

4. I took the time to read that article. I'm sorry, I don't think that article takes the reality of...

...the situation into consideration. I know I didn't at first. But I continued to read about how this situation occurred, how it unfolded and what conditions the police were presented with before making their decision.

I'm...not entirely clear what the thinking of Mr. Thompson was but the result of his actions was unavoidably forcing almost all of the the animals released to be suicided by cop.

PB

[Kaleva]

5. Interesting opinion but one I totally disagree with.

[appleannie1]

6. Don't any of the veterinarians or other animal facilities in Ohio have tranquilizer guns?

I know that they have been used a number of times in recent years in Pennsylvania to capture exotic animals or large bears in heavily populated areas.

[aquart]

11. Why do you need any kind of gun?

Hungry animals who haven't hunted in years? Lure with food.

[Sherman A1]

23. According to the NPR interview last week with the

Sheriff, the tranquilizer guns simply would not be on the scene soon enough to make a significant difference. The Sheriff made the decision based upon the need to protect the public and those involved, they took no delight in having to do so.

[Botany]

7. The animals had been habituated* to seeing humans as

... as a source of food because a human had always brought them food to their pens so on a
cold dark rainy night in Ohio the police had no choice but to kill the animals. Even the black
bears and the wolves who have a very very low # of non provoked attacks on humans were
legit threats.

A tiger or lion that has ALWAYS had a human bring them food and is hungry will come to a
human expecting food and if not he/she might lash out when not being getting food.

BTW I live in Ohio and saw a sheriff's deputy almost in tears because of what HE HAD TO DO.


* To accustom by frequent repetition or prolonged exposure

[MedicalAdmin]

8. So get out there with tranq guns.

Dope 'em, don't kill em.

[Botany]

17. Muskingham County Sheriff's Department didn't ...

.... have tranq guns or wildlife biologists or potable large animal pens.

It was a cold dark rainy night in a rural and poor part of the state they had very few options.

The sheriff did contact the Columbus Zoo, The Wilds, and ODNR. No matter what you might have
seen on Wild Kingdom and or some other t.v. show it is not a simple thing to hit and tranquilize a
600 LBS grizzly bear.

Go to a zoo and look @ a tiger and just see how ripping strong they are sometime.

[raging_moderate]

9. Newsflash!!

Local Sheriff bathes in accolades for ensuring none in his community are eaten alive by marauding predators!!

[OhioBlue]

13. what's up the the author trying to take a backhand

to the people of Zanesville? Because it is a City of only 25,000 - they don't matter? He says it is past its prime? what the hell is up with that.

I disagree completely. The Sheriff did what needed to be done. He couldn't risk public safety while waiting for exotic animal experts to fly in.

The animals had to "taken down" and that isn't gangsta rap... the opinion piece is so full of condescension and pretension.

[aquart]

16. Talk about giving in to hysteria.

[plumbob]

18. Apparently the huge majority of animals were still within a few feet of their

cages. None were "rampaging" the community.

Obviously some trigger happy types just wanted a chance to kill a buncha different things than they usually do.

Stupid and cruel - just the way I like my humans - or at least expect to find them.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

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[DRoseDARs]

20. The Humane Society says the sheriff did the right thing, though it wasn't ideal.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-19/us/us_ohio-animals_1_exotic-animals-animal-cruelty-debbie-leahy?_s=PM:US

Hmm, who's the bigger authority here, the Humane Society or armchair animal activists on the Internet? Even PETA laid blame at the feet of lax government regulations, rather than the sheriff trying to protect public safety.

[Marnie]

22. but back up. Why did the sheriff, ASPCA and other intities

not shut this guy down years ago.

It is inhumane to keep large wild hunters,and even migrating grass eaters caged up.

Allow that to happen ad continue and grow is the real problem.

[Sherman A1]

24. While backing up here, one might take a look

at the laws (or rather the complete lack of them) that regulate this activity. The Sheriff did the best he could with a really bad situation.