The Lion Sleeps Tonight

For anyone who lives under a rock and hasn't been following the news in the past day, there were wild jungle animals roaming the Zanesville area last night thanks to a (crazy) man who had about 50 of them on his property, and after returning home after being in prison for an arms violation, decided to set them free and then kill himself. That's the super abbreviated version, but I'm assuming that most people have been following what's been going on.

Initially, I was so sad to hear that many of the animals had been shot and killed. However, now that Jack Hanna has spoken out in support of the Muskingum County Sheriff's Department to shoot and kill the animals that were found last night, I think that they made the right choice. Obviously, I love animals and I want nothing but the best care for them, which clearly these animals did not have, but in a situation where human life is at risk, the humans are going to have to take priority. It is very difficult to safely tranquilize an animal at night since once they are tranquilized they may run/stumble away. Just as people react differently when they are given a shot, every animal is different, plus when coupled with their nature to hunt and kill, it can be a very volatile situation if the animal does not calm down immediately. In the dark of the night, these animals are a danger to humans, and the safety of the animal is at risk too. One of the animals that was loose was hit by a car on I-70 last night, and if the sheriff's department didn't act quickly, more animals could have been hit by cars, putting the lives of humans at risk.

What irks me is that animal rights activists are attacking Jack Hanna's support of the sheriff's department's decision. Jack Hanna may be a little wacky, but he IS a professional zoologist. In other words, he knows his stuff. This is not big game hunting that he's supporting, this is the safety of human lives that he's supporting. He even said that he wished that they could have tranquilized more animals because there are zoos all over the country that are stepping up and offering homes for these animals, but because of the short amount of daylight that was left when this whole ordeal started last night, they didn't have a choice. He recognizes that these are WILD animals, just like the animals at the Columbus Zoo. You can't tame a wild animal, and especially looking at the horrifying living conditions these animals had, there's no way that they are going to look at humans as a friend. After all, it was a (very stupid) human that got these animals into this mess in the first place.

If you're going to be upset with someone, be upset with Terry Thompson who very foolishly chose to house so many exotic animals in unsafe conditions. Be upset with Governor Kasich for not giving Jack Hanna's proposal to tighten up the laws regarding ownership of exotic animals top priority. Be upset with the animal breeders who sold Terry Thompson all of these animals in the first place. But don't be upset with Jack Hanna. I can't even imagine the heartbreak he must feel watching all of those beautiful dead animals lose their life because their owner was foolish enough to attempt to set them free. If this had happened early in the day yesterday when there were more hours of daylight remaining, perhaps more animals could have been tranquilized and saved. But police generally do not carry tranquilizer darts on them because most tranquilizers are not safe for use on humans. They had no choice. Tranquilizing large wild animals isn't always the safest procedure either. In fact, Jack Hanna said on the news earlier that one of his friends who was a veterinarian was killed by a tiger that he was attempting to tranquilize. Yes, it is very sad that so many animals are dead, but I think we should remember how they got to be in this situation in the first place. It wasn't their choice to be set "free," but it is in their nature to hunt and kill for food. Even if it was a solitary animal instead of almost 50 animals, it could have turned out differently.

I want to see change. Nothing like this should ever happen again.  According to this article, Ohio currently does not regulate the possession of non-native animals AT ALL. How is this even possible? Former Governor Strickland had issued an order banning the possession of big cats, bear, and wolves, but our lovely current governor has let that order expire. So now, if you want a bear, you need a permit, but other than that, anything goes. Please explain to me how this makes any sense. First of all, who in their right mind would look at a lion and want it for a pet? You want a cat? Go to the Capital Area Humane Society and save a rescue kitty. You want a bear? Get one of these dogs:

Newfoundland: There's a reason why they're called "Gentle Giants"

They're the closest thing anyone should get to owning a bear. If you really want to see wild animals, get a season pass to the zoo or The Wilds. In the meantime, I'm thankful for the few animals who were able to make it through this terrifying ordeal alive. Now, go hug your dog/cat/rabbit/other legal domesticated pet, and tell them you love them.

~Christine