OHIO police armed with assault rifles have shot dead dozens of lions, tigers, bears and wolves, after the owner of an exotic farm freed the dangerous animals and then killed himself.

http://www.theaustralian...y-e6frg6so-1226171379810

I am shocked and sickened by this incident. These may have been potentially dangerous animals, but I am sure tranquilizer darts would have been the more obvious choice. They said they shot one tiger with a tranquilizer and it went "crazy" and ran towards a nearby forest so they shot it. In their defense they said they weren't sure the dart had hit it. If the dart didn't hit it, why did it go 'crazy'? If it went 'crazy' why did it run towards the nearby forest?

I'm sure if I was being hunted I would have done the same thing - nothing crazy about that.

Sounds like the animals owner definitely had his own problems - so selfish of him to have done this to his animals knowing what happens when American trigger happy police get involved.

sad story

No one should be allowed to keep animals like that, for what purpose did he have them?...Personal enjoyment? What a horrid waste , deeply saddens me...

Aetherbound

Very sad. Apparently he was a private collector, of which there are many all over America, and just as unregulated as this wacko.

In defence of the authorities' seemingly brutal actions, the scene was discovered late in the day, and under cover of darkness it's unlikely that all the animals would have been captured. If just one had got away, it could've ended up killing several people. Hence, shoot on sight.

Uhh so, turns out the dude... choked on a dildo.

http://www.ktla.com/news...-sex-toy,0,5903244.story

According to Lorain County Chief Deputy Coroner Dr. Frank Miller, Mazzola was found face down on his water bed, restrained with handcuffs, chains and padlocks.

An autopsy determined the preliminary cause of death was asphyxia due to airway obstruction by foreign body.

"The manner of death is pending further investigation and will be released when the case is finalized," the coroner's office said in a press release.

Mazzola had a sex toy in his throat, which apparently obstructed his breathing, Miller said.

He was also wearing a leather mask with the eyes and mouth zipped shut and a two-piece metal sphere covering his head, according to the coroner.

I know this is a serious subject, but I couldn't help but laugh when I read that.

My goodness the world is stanger than I can imagine.

Wow i am extremely outraged about this!!! i mean WTF they tried tranquilizers but didn't work? it just seems like a little more effort could of been made, yes it is a very good point that them being loose puts others in danger, but there probably many other ways they could of captured them.

It is just so sad to see all these beautiful creatures killed, let alone exotic creatures. all animals we worry about becoming extinct, it was pretty easy for them to take out.

I dont think this is over there will definitely be some controversy.

Is this serious or a joke? I click your link and it goes straight to the report, no where in there did i read of the owner choking on a dildo.

This is all it really says about the man.

The farm's owner, 62-year-old Terry Thompson, had been released from federal prison three weeks earlier after serving a one-year term on firearms charges.

Lutz said he was working with Thompson's estranged wife, who no longer lived on the farm, to work out a final tally on the animals.

Investigators have still not fully secured the farm and Lutz would not offer details on how Thompson died, although he said his body had been "bothered" by the animals.

Yeah, should be there if you click Laban's link?

I have found that the man you are talking about Sam Mazzola, is a completely different person from Terry Thompson, owner of all the tigers and bears, mazzola had only a couple of tigers.

Idk i was extremely confused, very similar with the animals and the fact that it was also in ohio.

agreed, it seems so abusing to keep such creates in a cage
better us to be caged than them

I actually came home to find my wife crying about this. She is one of the most compassionate people I've met...I have much to learn from her!

This was a terrible tragedy...poor animals finally got to taste some aspect of freedom again..

BTW I heard they ran out of tranquilizer darts and couldn't get more and that's why they had to starting shooting them. Still very sad.

Ah, thankyou for the correction - and to think I was going to look and double check but I thought... c'mon what are the chances?

Poor animals

What a terrible thing. Even though it's more than unfortunate, I think the cops did the right thing to some extent. Unless each station is fitted with a tranquilizer arsenal that I don't know about, than shoot on site was probably a good idea for the safety of civilians.

I'm astonished that it's legal to have such private collections in the first place. That would be a good starting point for where things went wrong...

First off: fuck that.

Secondly: It's the great paradox of personal liberties. I want to be able to grow and take whatever I want in the privacy of my own home, that guy wants bears... I know it's comparing apples and oranges, but not in the face of lawmaking, unfortunately.

To the OP: As I understand it this is what happened. State of OH has no regulations on what animals you can keep. This creep, due to whatever issues he had (I WILL show my dominance over these beasts!!! perhaps . . ) kept huge numbers of bears, tigers, wolves, etc on his multi-acre property.

So, this is NOT one of these friendly dudes who runs a no-kill sanctuary, takes in abused animals, welcomes in the public, seeks donations, etc. This is a creep. This is a guy who when there are local fairs for kids to bring their parrots or kittens or rotweillers or whatever, this dude shows up with a bear cub.

Addressing the creepy dead dude: I'm so sorry for putting this in here, but what is your damage? Were you granted a 1/4 inch erect piece of reproductive equipment and have you been working on compensating ever since?

Anyway, creepy dude was angry for a long time and let something loop in his head. One morning he decides to open all the gates and enclosures and eat his shotgun.

The truth of the situation is the cops had tigers in suburban back yards where children were near, with NO knowledge of when said tigers had last fed. Many of the cops had tears in their eyes as they did what they had to do in an emergency situation.

If anyone's going to point blame - point it to this creepy anal opening who has offed himself and to the hillbilly style of a state that says it's okay to keep a lion in your backyard.

Just one woman's opinion.

Peace & Love

I agree with you Pandora - the police were doing the best that they could have done in this situation despite what a tragedy it is. This should never have occurred in the first place

"Lutz said his office had fielded around 35 calls about the farm in the past six years, including reports of animals running loose and being mistreated." The animals should have been found better homes long ago. I hope that at least something like this can act as a catalyst for changing these absurd laws.

Lions, Tigers Escape! Ohio...Freedom to die

More information on this tragedy regarding police action, tranquilizers, and the exotic animal trade.