Monkey with Herpes At Large!

[Mos Eisley]

OK, I made up that headline, but it's in the story. I was curious what you all thought of this story. I'm thinking BBQ, but I do see a little rash behavior by the authorities in this one.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/10/18/Wild-animals-loose-in-Muskingum-County.html

Sheriff: 56 exotic animals escaped from farm near Zanesville; 49 killed by authorities
Animal farm owner released the animals, then killed himself

ZANESVILLE, Ohio —Authorities say that in all, 56 exotic animals escaped from a farm in Muskingum County last night, and one could still be missing this afternoon.

Of those animals, 49 were killed. Six animals -- a grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys -- were captured alive and taken to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and a monkey and a grey wolf were at large. The animals that were killed included 18 tigers, nine male lions, eight female lions, six black bears, three mountain lions, two grizzly bears, one baboon and two wolves, Sheriff Matt Lutz said. The escaped monkey poses a danger because it is infected with herpes, the sheriff said.

The sheriff said it is possible that the missing monkey was eaten by a large cat.

The owner of the farm, Terry Thompson, was found dead last night on his property. Authorities say Thompson opened the cage doors and cut the wires on the cages, then killed himself. He died from a gunshot wound. Lutz said Thompson's body was "bothered" by the animals.

Lutz had previously said a grizzly bear, a wolf and a mountain lion were missing. Today, authorities confirmed they killed the bear on the property last night. The wolf was later found dead; it had been shot last night. An officer wounded the mountain lion, which staggered into a neighbor's property and died.

Thompson's wife has returned to the farm and is talking to authorities. Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, said the wife begged authorities not to take her "babies," but he convinced her to let the animals go and work it out later...

The story is rather lengthy, you get the idea. If not, the link is above. Many of them were shot standing next to their cages. Was what they did correct? Or do you believe, being in a rural area, they could have done more to capture them alive?

 

[BadgeBunny]

Are you aware that this guy was just released from prison after serving a sentence for animal abuse?

It should be against the law for anyone to have exotic animals, period, IMHO ... Not circuses, not individuals, not "trainers", not even some zoos ... these animals need (and deserve) special accomodations that the vast majority of people are not equipped emotionally or financially to provide for them. And in the end it is the animals who suffer.

Sorry ... yeah, this is one of my "hot button" issues ...

ETA: Oh, sorry, forgot to answer your question. Yep, I think law enforcement did the right thing. Domesticated scared animals are dangerous ... UNdomesticated scared animals are 10000000 times more so ... and when they have no fear of humans it just compounds the problem another 10000000 times more ...

 

[Biggsly]

I agree. It reminds me of when we went to Tiger Safari, or what ever its called last summer. My wife was wanting to call the news when we left, because she was so mad. She talked to a lady, and the lady said that they were using mostly volunteer help and was having trouble finding help. I can understand that, but the animals suffer.

 

[jim7711]

Those kinds of animals need some very large and VERY secure facilities. Most of the people that own them do not have the means to have the proper facilities to keep these animals 100% secure. IMO

I believe the authorities did what they had to do. It was getting dark with lots of dangerous animals on the loose. No time to mess around with tranqs. They did what was right and put human safety above the animals lives.

 

[JB Books]

Monkey herpes is about 80% fatal to humans. Also, chimps tend to attack to maim. I learned a little about this when I was researching a lawsuit for an exotic animal attack.

 

[John Zane]

I cant imagian trying to explain how you got herpes from a monkey. " But Baby I swear I got jumped by a monkey!"

 

[RickN]

I agree that people should not be allowed to own exotic animals. The rescue the wife and I donate to has a hard time keeping up with the demand for space with all the animals they take in, and some of the stories that go with these animals makes me want to seriously hurt some people for what they did.

 

[cmhbob]

I used to live in Columbus not far from here.

Jack Hanna, a nationally known animal expert/advocate backed up law enforcement on what they did. One tranq attempt was made, on a tiger, I think. The animal charged the vet after the tranq hit, and had to be shot at close range.

It was getting dark. The SO had limited resources to cover the basic emergency, and next to no resources to tranq and transport the animals. I think they made the right call.

Tragedy, yes. Avoidable, probably. The most recent charges that sent him to prison were federal weapons charges. He had previously been cited over the animal conditions though, and whenever the local humane officer went out, he went with three deputies due to safety concerns.

A human life was wasted as well. Don't lose sight of that. I've looked into that abyss, and was able to step back from the edge. It's a dark, frightening, ugly place to be.

 

[Grendel]

Jack Hanna, a nationally known animal expert/advocate backed up law enforcement on what they did. One tranq attempt was made, on a tiger, I think. The animal charged the vet after the tranq hit, and had to be shot at close range.

It was getting dark. The SO had limited resources to cover the basic emergency, and next to no resources to tranq and transport the animals. I think they made the right call.

The BBC had a quote in their initial story from Jack Hanna just after the news of this hit, where he stated explicitly that the Sheriff's Office made the right decision. If one of the world's most preeminent wild life experts and conservationists agrees with the shoot to kill order, then I have to agree also. Keep an eye on David Letterman's schedule, I'm sure that Jack will be on soon and will likely say a few words about this incident.

 

[Wheel Gun]

I wouldn't let the herpes bother you. A good stewing monkey can be hard to find these days. I say put it in the pot with a couple of bay leaves and let him simmer for a while.