Ohio Wild Animal Farm Owner Had Troubled Past: Police
Ohio authorities said the owner of the animal farm near Zanesville, Ohio, who set loose dozens of wild animals and later committed suicide, had many troubles with the law.
Owner Terry Thompson had had repeated disputes with the law and authorities received many complaints since 2004 about animals at his property, said County Sheriff Matthew Lutz on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
The sheriff’s office also said that Thompson had been charged over the years with animal cruelty, animal neglect and allowing animals to roam. He had gotten out of federal prison just last month after serving a year for unregistered gun possession.
"This is a bad situation," the sheriff said. "It's been a situation for a long time," Lutz said, according to AP.
As of Thursday, - two days after the incident put authorities and residents on alert - 55 of the 56 animals had been either shot or captured and only a macaque monkey was still on the loose.
However, Lutz said experts believed the monkey was eaten by others, although they were still looking for it.
Eighteen Bengal tigers, 17 lions, eight bears and a wolf were killed, Lutz said Wednesday in a press conference, according to AP.
Six animals were captured alive and taken to the Columbus Zoo.