Jack Hanna on Zanesville, Ohio, Animals: ‘We Would Have Had Carnage’

[RamboLiberal]

There was no choice but to kill 49 animals, including tigers, lions and bears, that were released from their enclosures in Zanesville, Ohio, wildlife expert Jack Hanna told ABC News’ Diane Sawyer.

“I’m sorry to say, but what the sheriff did had to be done,” Hanna said. “Otherwise, we would have had carnage out here in Zanesville, Ohio.

“Tragedy-wise for me,” he added, “it's probably the worst thing in 45 years of history of working with animals. … I’ve seen poachers kill in the wild. I’ve seen animals killed right in front of me with their horns cut off. I’ve seen a lot of things happen in my career, but nothing like this have I ever witnessed.”

Hanna said tranquilizing wild animals is not as easy as many people believe.

“I’ve been out all over the world tranquilizing animals,” he said. “Can you imagine trying to tranquilize an animal in the dark. Fine, we have a spotlight. We hit it. You don’t know exactly: Did you hit a muscle? Did you hit a bone? If you hit the bone, the plunger might not work and put the medicine in. So what do we do? Then we send a veterinarian or the sheriff up there to see if the animal is down, right? What’s gonna happen if the animal is just sitting there not even asleep? You’re dead.”

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/10/jack-hanna-on-zanesville-ohio-animals-we-would-have-had-carnage/

[Botany]

1. Jack is right on this but he was also covering John Kasich's

ass too. I saw him on Rachel M. and he was covering Kasich's ass big time.

But Jack is right about killing the animals .... they were habituated to humans and saw people as sources of food.

[Ken Burch]

4. Why would Jack Hanna give a rip about Kasich?

Does Hanna have some sort of 'pug connections?

[Joyce78]

5. Jack Hanna

I also was dismayed ... Jack Hanna seemed to be covering for Kasich. Talked about it not being political but, if I heard correctly, mentioned being on the phone with "John" (sounds friendly to me) for about 1/2 hour and also critized Ted Strickland. I live in Ohio and wish we still had Gov. Ted Strickland.

[JI7]

7. what did he criticize Strickland for ?

[Botany]

8. Yes it (Jack's defense of Kasich) .....

... seemed a little forced to me. "The Wilds" is with in minutes of where this tragedy took place and they had the land
and the people to care for those animals.

"We already had plans in place to hold a meeting in just a few weeks to strengthen a ban on exotic animal sales in Ohio." Jack H rough quote.

The bottom line is that Strickland had worked to ban the sales and ownership of exotic animals in Ohio and Kasich over turned that
ban with in weeks of taking office.

[indepat]

23. Then, why wouldn't this tragedy lie solely with Kasich? Am I missing something?

:shrug: :patriot:

[Botany]

9. dupe

n/t

[hlthe2b]

10. Yes.. but I understand his having to walk the line....

He is looking out for the interests of the Cincinnati Zoo and thus had to play the non-partisan card.

[KT2000]

2. No one should have

exotic animals in the first place. There is an animal farm a couple miles from where I live. It began when a man started bringing home injured and orphaned animals he found. Then he started working with Disney to use animals in films.
They then started taking in exotic animals that people bought when they were young but could not handle them when they got too big - lions, tigers, bears etc.
Zoos cannot take all of these animals.
The result is never good for them.
I know Jack Hanna has to be heartbroken over this.

[Mz Pip]

3. I think a lot of people fail to realize

that tranquilizer darts aren't instantaneous, even if they hit the right spot.

This is just so sad and there just wasn't going to be a good outcome.

[Journeyman]

6. It was also dusk when the animals were released, so to wait meant hunting in the dark. . .

The officers first on scene had no idea how long it would be to get anyone with tranquilizer guns in place, so I understand why they felt the need to act quickly with the force available.

No one knew what condition those animals were in: Were they hungry, abused, injured, and if any of those three, how dangerous were they going to be? How frightened were the animals, and how were they going to react to strange, unexpected stimuli -- cars, moving lights, horns, barking dogs?

It was a shame the animals were put down as quickly as they were, but an even greater shame they were ever put in that situation in the first place. The cure here is prevention: Stop irresponsible humans from purchasing beasts they have no clue how to care for, and there will be no need for such private "animal preserves" and no reason to ever wholesale slaughter such magnificent creatures.

[PeaceNikki]

11. And raining. The death of these animals is not the fault of Hanna or the people who killed them

But that asshole who kept and then released them and the loose laws that allowed him to do so.

[slay]

12. Hanna is right I guess - but it could be a good idea

for cities PD's to stock tranquilizer guns. and in a situation like this - use a dose that is super strong - near fatal it's so strong. beats having to kill the animals. still not sure with the time frame anything could have been done this time though. :(

[PeaceNikki]

14. Or a better idea would be: laws restricting ownership of exotic animals.

Police are not trained to tranquilize large exotic animals and should not be put in this position. Ever.

[slay]

15. Indeed

i totally agree.

[PeaceNikki]

16. I think we need federal laws regarding the auction, trade and ownership of these creatures

It's unbelievably cruel and dangerous how easy it is for these assholes to do this. There are stricter laws regarding dog ownership in many places. Total bullshit.

[Dover]

17. Hanna said this morning that the laws ARE changed and that anyone harboring exotic animals

in that state should start making other arrangements for their animals because within the next 6 months
they WOULD be getting a knock of the door...
He said there wouldn't be anymore of 'this'.

[PeaceNikki]

19. It's left to state, county and city laws.

Also: Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Wednesday that former Gov. Ted Strickland's executive order earlier this year banning some exotic animals wouldn't have prevented the situation in Zanesville. Kasich said Strickland's plan was "unenforceable." Kasich said "Look Ohio has not been able to regulate exotic animals, I come in and my folks come in and say it has to be done and done correctly."
Kasich said Strickland’s order was not complete. There were no clear instructions on how it would be put in place, no resources named to help reinforce the ban, and that’s why he didn’t sign an extension in April.

Jack Hanna, Columbus Zoo's director emeritus, said Ohio was just six weeks away from having new rules regulating the sale and ownership of exotic animals. Kasich said he hopes to have something in place by the end of the year.

“We do have lax laws,” Hanna said, while standing with the Muskingum County sheriff.

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/state/jack-hanna-ohio-6-weeks-away-from-exotic-animal-law#ixzz1bKCeSFag

In addition, the auctioning of these exotic animals needs to stop.

[Pacifist Patriot]

13. Sad, but very true.

The biggest tragedy in all of this is Ohio's too-lax laws with respect to wildlife ownership.

[agentS]

18. I blame the now-deceased owner

The owner let the animals go ON PURPOSE and shot himself in the head. No suicide note, according to the news.

But if he hadn't been so crude and vindictive, these animals would still be alive.

Shame really, to lose so many Bengal Tigers...

But at least no one died.

[trotsky]

20. Yep, he alone should be the only person blamed here. n/t

[PeaceNikki]

21. and the assholes who breed and auction these beautiful creatures

And lax laws that allow the trade and ownership.

[trotsky]

22. Absolutely. n/t