(CNN) -- Terry Thompson, the Ohio man who authorities say set his exotic animals free just before killing himself, once supplied a lion cub for a photo shoot with supermodel Heidi Klum. "Thompson and his wild animal farm had long been on authorities' radar.
But while investigators kept a close eye on him, Thompson professed his love for his animals to most anyone. He would often be seen driving down the road with a wild animal.
"My cats are happier than most people," Thompson once told the Zanesville Times-Recorder. "I feed them every day, and they have a great place to live. How many people can say they have all they can eat and don't have to worry about a place to live?"
Yet on Tuesday, a strained marriage collided with the stress and the expense of caring for so many animals, people close to the investigation told CNN. "He was so depressed he said, 'That's it. I'm going to let them go,' " said Columbus Zoo director emeritus Jack Hanna, who helped authorities in the search for the wild animals.
The 62-year-old Thompson had been released from prison in recent weeks after serving a year behind bars on an illegal firearms conviction. Authorities say Thompson unlocked his animal cages, opened the farm's gates and shot himself to death.Thompson freed dozens of exotic animals -- from Bengal tigers to grizzly bears to baboons -- setting off a frightening scenario outside Zanesville, a town of 25,000 in central Ohio. Authorities killed at least 49 animals, including 18 rare tigers.
"What happened here was one of the largest animal escapes in our country's history," said Hanna. Sheriff Matt Lutz defended his officers, saying they had no choice but to kill the roaming animals. "I had deputies that had to shoot animals with sidearms at close range. That's how volatile this situation was."
The sheriff's department had been to the property on dozens of occasions over the last decade to check into reports of animal cruelty or animals on the loose. Thompson would stare down those who entered his property with his steely blue eyes. He'd cuss and scream. "I'll be damned," Thompson would shout, according to county Humane Officer David Durst. "I'll let them animals go!" "We were just afraid that this was going to happen. It wasn't a matter of if it was going to happen, it was a matter of when.
Opinion: Wild animals should be left in the wild
"The laws are so weak in Ohio, it's ridiculous. You can have one permit and pretty much have all the exotic animals you want." Added Hostetler: "For me the sad part of this is that the court system could've removed those animals, and it's really sad it reached this point." The Humane Society of the United States urged Ohio officials Wednesday to issue an emergency rule to crack down on exotic animal ownership. A previous emergency order issued by then-Gov. Ted Strickland that prohibited people convicted of animal cruelty from owning exotic animals expired in April. The Humane Society said Thompson "would almost certainly have had his animals removed by May 1, 2011, if the emergency order had not expired." When he was first sentenced to animal cruelty charges in 2005, Thompson told the judge: "I've learned a lot from this case, and I do love my animals.”
GROUP THREE DESCRIPTION AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
We chose these excerpts from the CNN website that discussed the recent animal fiasco in Zanesville, Ohio. Exotic animal owner, Terry Thompson, shot himself last Tuesday, October 18th, but before doing so, unlocked the cages where he kept his animals. The animals roamed from the area and worried local officials who were concerned for the safety of those residing in the area. Due to the critical time concerns, some animals were shot and killed when local police officers felt they had no other choice. This article discusses the argument of whether or not it was right that the animals were shot and killed as well as the argument of whether or not Ohio has strict enough laws regarding the ownership of exotic and wild animals. Who do these arguments appeal to? Is the source credible? Jack Hana took to his facebook and twitter to post, "I am so saddened by the tragedy in Zanesville, OH. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Wilds and I are doing all we can to help the situation on the ground. As always, public safety has to be the first priority. Our team is hoping to assist in the safe rescue of as many of these animals as possible." Does putting public safety first justify killing these animals, of which included 18 rare tigers? Do you think there should be a revision to the current Ohio law regarding exotic animals?
-Group 4
