Before taking his own life, Terry Thompson, the owner of some 48 exotic animals, loosed the animals upon the small farming community of Zanesville, Ohio for reasons unknown. Nonetheless, the animals have all been killed in an effort to contain the chaos though the actions have been decried by some as inhumane and the images of slaughtered animals scattered on various sites across the internet have caused distress for many animal lovers. Including such exotic animals as Bengal tigers and lions, the animals at Terry Thompson’s Muskingum County Animal Farm posed a threat to the residents of Zanesville because of their rural location. It would not only be difficult to find the animals at a certain point, but also they would pose a threat to local residents and livestock. Not all was lost, however, as three leopards, a grizzly bear and two monkeys were saved and have been taken to the Columbus Zoo where they are doing well. In the United States, Ohio has some of the laxest laws concerning the ownership of large, exotic animals but after this incident the need for more restrictions on the types of animals one can keep as a pet will be drawn into focus.

[FoxNews]