Categories: Front PageU.S. News

Terry Thompson may have opened animal cages and then committed suicide. Zanesville latest news.

Zanesville: 48 exotic animals killed, including 18 Bengal tigers and 17 lions.

Ohio police are investigating the possibility that Terry Thompson, the owner of the Zanesville reserve where 48 wild animals escaped from, may have opened their cages and then committed suicide.

Terry Thompson, owner of Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville was found dead by authorities having his body surrounded by a number of aggressive animals.

It was reported that almost 30 wild animals have been shot and killed until now and the residents were warned to stay indoors.

Ohio police are investigating the possibility that Terry Thompson, the owner of the Zanesville reserve where 48 wild animals escaped from, may have opened their cages and then committed suicide

 

48 tigers, lions, wolves, giraffes, camels, cheetahs and bears bolted after their cages were left open in the reservation.

Sheriff Matt Lutz said: “We are not ruling out any possibility right now about who let the animals out of the cages and what happened to Mr Thompson. We are waiting on the results of the preliminary autopsy to establish cause of death.”

It was also reported that Terry Thompson, 62, who lived at the Muskingum County Animal Farm, had chimps in cages in his home but these were still locked up.

Jack Hanna, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium director emeritus told FOX News Channel: “The animals are hunkered down in trees right now, like you would be if it were raining.

“That’s good and bad, because the weather would reduce the danger for local residents but make the recovery of the animals more difficult.

“I’m hoping that by tonight we can account for most of these creatures.”

Authorities in Zanesville, Ohio, urged nearby residents to stay in their houses as wild animals were spotted wandering up and down highways in the area

 

Authorities in Zanesville urged nearby residents to stay in their houses as animals were spotted wandering up and down highways in the area.

Terry Thompson was released from prison three weeks ago after serving a one-year term for weapons offences.

According to the New York Post, Terry Thompson was convicted of cruelty to animals and placed under house arrest for six months in 2005.

A Zanesville veterinarian who inspected some of Terry Thompson’s animals described him as “an animal collector”, although Thompson claimed he was operating an animal shelter.

Terry Thompson was also said to be involved in fashion photography, and once provided lion cubs for use in a photo shoot with model Heidi Klum in 2007.

Police refused to give details of all the animals that had been shot but said bears and wolves were among the 30 animals killed.

Sheriff Matt Lutz said: “These are wild animals that you would see on TV in Africa.”

JxBWiL2_i_w
Diane A. Wade

Diane is a perfectionist. She enjoys searching the internet for the hottest events from around the world and writing an article about it. The details matter to her, so she makes sure the information is easy to read and understand. She likes traveling and history, especially ancient history. Being a very sociable person she has a blast having barbeque with family and friends.

Recent Posts

Spain: At Least 158 Killed In The Country’s Worst Flooding Disaster

At least 158 people have died in Spain's worst flooding disaster in generations. On October…

2 days ago

Russia Fines Google $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, Surpassing Global GDP

Google has been fined two undecillion (a two followed by 36 zeroes) roubles by a…

2 days ago

Financing Your Home Remodel: 7 Tips for Success

Embarking on a home remodel is an exciting journey, promising enhanced comfort, increased property value,…

2 weeks ago

Donald Trump Serves Up McDonald’s Fries While Kamala Harris Celebrates 60th Birthday with Church Choir

The US presidential candidates continued to campaign across key swing states on October 20. Footage…

2 weeks ago

America PAC: Elon Musk Promises to Award $1M Each Day to Swing States Voters

Elon Musk has said he will give away $1 million a day to a registered…

2 weeks ago

Canada Expels 6 Indian Diplomats Amid Khalistan Row

India and Canada have decided to expel their top envoys along with other diplomats as…

3 weeks ago