16 tigers released in rural ohio

[willybee]

49 animals hunted by police -tigers lions bears even
a baboon!

As of Wednesday afternoon, authorities had killed 49 animals -- 16 tigers, 17 lions, six black bears, two grizzly bears, three mountain lions, two wolves and a baboon. Those captured alive were taken to the Columbus Zoo.

Sheriff, expert defend killings of freed animals in Ohio - CNN.com

man what a circus-they hunted them with night vision even.\

willy

[ghost recon]

I was reading this story earlier. Seems like a pretty harsh and trigger-happy response imo. How about a tranq rifle and relocate them in zoos? Too late for that.

[drdave514]

Hit 'em with the trank rifle and they speed off in the night. Maybe you find them, maybe you don't. It's a tough enough prospect during the daytime considering it's an urban area. Not to mention the shorter distance needed to use a tranquil dart.

Sad but it was a situation where you have to take the shot when you get it and protect the peeps.

[arrow719]

I think the PETA peeps should be in charge of capturing the big kitties.

[cgode]

Originally Posted by arrow719

I think the PETA peeps should be in charge of capturing the big kitties.

Now that would be something to see arrow!!!!

I feel bad for the animals but understand the safety concerns.....pretty much sucks all the way around, not an easy thing to have to do.

[Ryno]

I'm kinda with ghost here... at least on the black bears... wouldn't have been too hard to dart them.. lions, tigers on the loose... idk kinda dangerous I think.. I've helped capture quite a few exotics with a dart gun.. about a 50 yd max and with a good dose... animal will be down in a few minutes.. black bears just arent too dangerous... maybe a menace...

[joshuaream]

Tough call, but I understand the local police not wanting to explain to a family why little Bobby was mauled by a Tiger. Out West or in the Appalachians you have enough bears and big animals that a couple of people within driving distance would have experiece darting a bear or mountain lion. In Ohio, it's probably not a common skill among the locals. (I do agree on the bears though, they we probably just looking for a quiet place to hunker down somewhere and wait for the guy to return and feed them.)

The other side is that no one except other people who keep pets like this wants most of these animals. The big cats, especially, are usually so inbred that no zoo wants them mixing with a relatively healthy population. There are a couple of places in Florida that take/rescue big cats, and it is an expensive proposition. They eat a lot of expensive meat, and they live a long time while suffering from lots of expensive ailments.

It's sad the guy was able to get this many animals.

[Mud Hawk]

Chris, if I saw what you have seen in fires I would be mentally hospitalized. Before I continue, I gotta say you are dedicated to saving life... You have seen things that make me cringe to the core. It is the reality of things. You save life from death regardless of the species. With that, you make the world a better place in many ways including ethics. At the risk of your own life no less.

PETA is necessary. My pup and felines are my children and I would die protecting them.

[Bobby]

Joshua don't worry I am okay.

That is just sad to see the last picture. There should have been an alternative method to capture them. They can shoot a net from a helicopter and catch bighorn sheep so why couldn't something like that have been tried.
It wasn't like they were stomping out a few scorpions or black widows, they were killing some majestic creatures that the humans way out number.

[longtimefree]

wow what a situation ,heard about it on the news, it made national headlines, what a waste, what are we gonna do ? start screening the mental stability of people to see if they should be allowed to keep exotic pets? i think not , its a hard one for sure on the officials decision to eliminate the animals, as apposed to capturing them, im sure the decision came from high up , to bad