Big Cat Apparently Bit Animal Farm Owner's Head; Body Dragged

Forty-nine animals were killed and six were rescued after the owner of an animal preserve released his exotic animals and killed himself.

It played out Tuesday evening at the 73-acre Muskingum County Animal Farm at 270 Kopchak Road in Zanesville.

Deputies found wild and exotic animals on the loose and the farm's owner dead in the driveway from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Sheriff Matt Lutz said the owner, Terry Thompson, opened pens and cages before he committed suicide.

In addition to the gunshot wound, Thompson had a bite wound to his head area that is consistent with a big cat. The coroner thinks the bite happened seconds after the gunshot wound. Thompson's body also might have been dragged a bit.

The sheriff said they found parts and pieces of chicken the driveway. Thompson fed the animals chicken in the past.

Lutz said he will not speculate on Thompson's motives or how he funded the animals' care.

The farm housed animals including Bengal tigers, mountain lions, grizzly and black bears, primates and wolves.

A total of 56 animals escaped.

Six black bears, two grizzly bears, nine male lions, eight lionesses, one baboon, three mountain lions, 18 tigers and two wolves were killed by authorities.

Six animals were caught and transported to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: one young grizzly bear, three leopards and two Celebes macaques (a breed of monkey). Those animals are doing well, eating, active and being evaluated by zoo staff.

At about 8 p.m. Wednesday, the sheriff said, "We're convinced that we do not have any animals running at large. [The monkey] was in an area where one of the cats actually killed one of the monkeys and we feel he could have been eaten by one of the cats."

During the 10 a.m. Thursday news conference, Lutz said that one monkey is going to be classified as unaccounted for and there were no reported sightings.

Authorities were afraid that monkey had Herpes B virus. The Herpes B virus is not harmful to monkeys but is considered extremely dangerous to humans.

The killed animals were buried on the property at the recommendation of Jack Hanna, the director emeritus of the Columbus zoo who was working with the emergency communications group, and the request of Thompson's wife.

"I'm sorry for what happened to these animals. But also for what could have happened to people. Let's hope this never has to happen again in any state. This is a tragedy for the animal world. It could have been a bigger tragedy for the human world," Hanna said.

"I'll do anything I have to do to make sure this doesn't happen again," Lutz said. He went on to say he understands people are upset and that he and his department feel the same.

Thompson's wife was at the preserve Wednesday afternoon, working with authorities.

As of Thursday, only horses remained at the farm.

According to Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz, when deputies arrived at the farm Tuesday evening, the exotic animals were visible from the roadway and were showing aggressive behavior.

Deputies shot as many as 25 of the animals while approaching the farm.

Crews searched throughout Tuesday night for the animals and the sheriff issued a "shoot-to-kill" order.

Deputies and troopers used night vision to capture or kill the animals.

Lutz said Thursday there was no known agreement between Thompson and law enforcement that it was OK to shoot and kill any escaped animals.

Hanna said Lutz did the right thing by making the order, adding that tranquilizing an animal at night is very difficult. He said that is not an excuse but an explanation.

"We all love our animal world. And we love the people world, too. People's safety is first, and then we have animals to protect," Hanna said. "What was done had to be done."

Hanna said veterinarians were at the scene and if it was possible to tranquilize any of the loose animals without harming human life, that's what would happen.

"You cannot run from it. It doesn't see you as a human. It sees you as something fleeing, or something to play with," Hanna said.

There also were horses also being kept on the farm and officials said Wednesday afternoon that some of the wild animals were charging at the horses when deputies arrived.

"There was a bear first. There was another bear. I think three bears. One of the bears charged the deputy and the deputy shot it," said Fred Polk, Thompson's neighbor. "First of all, we looked up, we seen the bears, then we seen the mountain lions and African lions and different animals running loose out there and I seen four or five and the next thing I know there was nine or ten."

The Columbus zoo reached out to other zoos for possible placement, but the animals still belong to Thompson's wife legally.

Lutz said they're not trying to take away the animals from Thompson's wife. She was part of the decision and she will work with the zoo on visiting the rescued animals.

The zoo called in extra security after reports of death threats from people who are pro-animal rights. The Zanesville Chamber of Commerce also received a few emailed threats.

The Wilds, a conservation center in Zanesville, was helping out as well, Hanna said.

No human injuries were reported. To Lutz' knowledge, there were no reports of property damage or livestock injuries.

Schools in the area were closed at the recommendation of Lutz Wednesday.

Someone attempted to steal the carcass of one of the big cats Tuesday night. The animal was recovered, and the person was taken into police custody. The prosecutor is looking at the case, and charges will be filed if appropriate.

Lutz talked about a circulating photo of the animals' carcasses. He said he did not authorize the release of that photo and there was no reason for its release. Its release will be investigated.

He said one doesn't need to see a photo of a dead animal to understand the severity of the situation.

Who Was Terry Thompson?

Thompson had some big fans, but there were also people who worried that something could go wrong with his exotic animal farm.

Thompson was a veteran of the Vietnam War and pilot.

"He was a good guy, misunderstood by a lot, it's hard," said Steve Addis, who was once married to Thompson's sister.

Addis said the animals were a huge part of Thompson's life.

"All I will say about the animals is that he loved those animals," he said.

A woman who asked to remain anonymous held one of the tigers in the past.

"He would bring them in to be declawed and would say he slept with them. He and his wife would sleep in the same bed," she said.

She said she watched as Thompson battled neglect and abuse charges and gun charges last year. She said she wishes she would have seen this coming.

"It always seems to be that animals pay the price of human neglect. The warning bells were there earlier," she said.

Lutz said he doesn't know the origins of all of the animals. He has heard some were rescued and some were bought at auction.

Owner Had Past Run-Ins With Law Enforcement
Lutz said the last time the sheriff's office responded to the home on a complaint, Thompson had all the legal permits for the animals. Lutz did not comment on the current status of Thompson's permits.

"The last time we were here on a complaint he was legal to be here. He has had permits in the past to have these animals," Lutz said.

Lutz said he never had confrontational issues with Thompson.

In April 2010, NBC4 reported that Thompson pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of illegal firearms, including five fully automatic firearms and three short-barreled firearms without serial numbers.

According to court documents, ATF agents seized the illegal weapons while executing a search warrant of Thompson’s property near Zanesville in June 2008.

Lutz said no suicide note was found on the property during their investigation.

Ohio's Exotic Pets Restrictions Under Fire (Courtesy of the Associated Press)
Ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them. In 2010, an animal caretaker was killed by a bear at a property in Cleveland.

On Wednesday, the Humane Society of the United States criticized Gov. John Kasich for allowing a statewide ban on the buying and selling of exotic pets to expire in April. The organization urged the state to immediately issue emergency restrictions.

"How many incidents must we catalog before the state takes action to crack down on private ownership of dangerous exotic animals?" Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO, said in a statement.

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