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    ‘Herpes monkey’ still on the loose in Ohio exotic animal break

    A sign warns motorists of the dozens of escaped animals (AP)How could the story of an exotic animal farm owner letting loose all of his wild beasts before killing himself get any stranger?

    With the help of a herpes-infected monkey.

    By Wednesday afternoon Ohio authorities hunted down and killed almost all of the 56 animals who were turned loose Tuesday evening. The Columbus Dispatch has a tragic photo of the slain animals here.

    But two of the beasts eluded capture: a wolf and a monkey who may be infected with Herpes B, according to CBS. Another monkey from the Muskingum County Animal Farm was eaten by an escaped lion who has since been killed, ABC reported.

    The escaped monkey has inspired a fake Twitter account.

    (Twitter)

    People who live in the mostly rural area stayed indoors Wednesday as deputies used rifles to hunt down lions, tigers, bears, leopards, cheetahs and other exotic animals apparently let loose by their owner, Terry Thompson. Police say that Thompson, who had served time on weapons charges, committed suicide.

    Authorities said they had no choice but to shoot the animals, since animals hit with tranquilizer darts could run away and hide. Ohio Gov. John Kasich let a ban on owning exotic pets expire last April, to the dismay of the Humane Society.

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    • Rederick  •  7 mths ago
      Heres a thought, leave'm where they belong !
      • Dickie Anginson 7 mths ago
        Yeah. It's sad some people are too dumb to do that. :( These poor critters are dying for nothing.
      • Big Mike 7 mths ago
        there were dead as soon as they were shipped to a private owners backyard. thats where it all went wrong.. no small town junkie can afford the upkeep on these things.
      • bonz 7 mths ago
        Especially if he was in prison.
    • Karen  •  Pittsburgh, United States  •  7 mths ago
      Concern for the public should have been thought about when permits were given out. These animals DO NOT belong in someones backyard as part of a person's selfish menagerie. Too often, the animals are the ones that suffer the consequences. Shame on the "leaders" for letting the ban expire.
      • 38 Special 7 mths ago
        I don't think permits are required in Ohio. A few states follow baggers rules for no rules about having wild animals.
      • Chinchilla Owner 7 mths ago
        Permits are required for bears in Ohio, but not for the other exotic animals this guy had.
      • Chris 7 mths ago
        freakin ohio
    • Arpman  •  Independence, United States  •  7 mths ago
      This is a bizarre story. I hate to see cheetahs killed. They're endangered.
      • Rederick 7 mths ago
        Not anymore !
      • ninjagirl 7 mths ago
        There was also a white Siberian Tiger that was killed, tigers especially white tigers are the most endangered of all big cats
      • Dickie Anginson 7 mths ago
        @Arpman I hate this too. At least it's good to know that some people on these boards care. Many have intelligent things to say, even if they can't actually do anything about the situation. The best suggestion I read was, How about just leaving them where they belong (in the wild)? Amen to that.
    • Roger  •  Atlanta, United States  •  7 mths ago
      I have never understood why importation and private ownership of exotic species is allowed. While I have no problems with zoo's owning various species, there have already been too many problems created by the transfer of one species into a new continent.

      The last statistic I heard was there are over 10,000 lions and tigers in the care of private individuals. Eventually a few of them are going to escape and start breeding. Also Florida already has 15 foot boa constrictors and 6 foot iguanas running around. Whats next, Piranahs?
      • fed up 7 mths ago
        yea look at the carp problem in the mississippy river.
      • Danielle 7 mths ago
        I agree with u.
      • LisaW 7 mths ago
        Nah, the piranahs are in texas
    • WTF  •  7 mths ago
      AND a very good example of why NO-ONE should be allowed to have exotic animals as pets. No one. In fact - most people should have to pass a test and prove that they even know how to care for a simple domestic pet like a cat or dog considering the amazing number that are euthanized every day or found neglected. And while at it - most people should have to pass a similar test to have children.
    • Chris  •  Buffalo, United States  •  7 mths ago
      Well this is how the zombie apocalypse starts....
    • lgyoga  •  Paris, France  •  7 mths ago
      Humans are stupid .
    • Warren Jeffs the Wedding ...  •  7 mths ago
      They can capture the herpes monkey...but he'll always come back -- over and over...
    • Bradley  •  Chicago, United States  •  7 mths ago
      This is terrible. I hate to see the animals getting killed, wish they could be sedated and then relocated.

      @HerpesMonkey is maybe the funniest thing I've ever seen
    • jane  •  Springfield, United States  •  7 mths ago
      People in that area have come forward to say those animals were not well cared for, the animals were starving and he didn't have the means to care for them. He is to blame he could have contacted someone to care for them before he killed himself.
    • big guuu  •  Cheyenne, United States  •  7 mths ago
      humans caused this,scared hungry animals,shame on humans,to bad a few crooked cops didnt get eaten
    • Cheese Taco  •  Columbus, United States  •  7 mths ago
      Also, the guy keeping all these animals was to blame. First, he puts them in horrible conditions with very little food or water. Second, he was the one that let them all out and then committed suicide. (If he had just kept them in their cages instead of letting them go, this wouldn't have happened and the nearest zoo would have been able to get the animals safely without any being harmed) This guy, for those who don't know, had been in and out of prison a few times for his horrible treatment of animals.
    • Jeffrey P  •  Appleton, United States  •  7 mths ago
      I'm rooting for the monkey and the wolf now all the way...
    • aunt_deen  •  Elmhurst, United States  •  7 mths ago
      Okay, I'm reading an awful lot of outrage directed at the police who shot these animals.

      First, the animals were OUT of their cages. Some had already run off.

      Secondly, a tranquilizer takes time to work. An animal could easily keep running after being hit, hide and sleep it off, and then wake up hungrier than ever.

      There was NO TIME to call in exotic animal experts. They had to make a quick decision and they rightfully decided to put human safety first.

      All it would take would be ONE big predator on the loose to kill someone, possibly a child.

      Imagine, please, if you and your kids lived a mile or two down the road from this place. Would you honestly have wanted the police to make another choice?
    • Mark  •  Amelia, United States  •  7 mths ago
      The governor is a jack ass- wish he was in Muskingum County.
    • bigtop  •  7 mths ago
      Sweet a lion ate a monkey, that is awsome!
    • The Enigmatic Spaz  •  7 mths ago
      This is one of the most sick and tragic things I have ever seen. The Bengal Tiger alone is an endangered species. I don't see how they can get away with such absolutely pointless slaughter. The fact the humane society is upset that the deceased owned the animals is even more pointless. Shouldn't they be marching and picketing over the deliberate killing of 18 of this world's endangered species?

      This whole thing stinks. The Sheriff doesn't show an ounce of remorse for the senseless death. Police are supposed to support and uphold the law, not rise above it. I hope these people get what is coming to them.
    • Sherry  •  7 mths ago
      I hate the fact that these animals had be killed, but included in these numbers were 8 lions, 9 lionesses, and 18 tigers. Thirty-five big cats running around central Ohio -- near Interstate 70 by the way -- could the deputies have contained them? Doubtful.

      The sheriff of Muskingum County was in an untenable position -- uproar from animal lovers for killing these animals or outrage/panic/paranoia/fear from local residents if they were allowed to roam about until zoo officials or others could capture them. Schools were closed and the city of Zanesville practically shut down -- how long could that go on?

      If Ohio does not use this as a learning experience and change the laws related to ownership of exotic animals, that will be a tragedy.
    • Scissor Me Timbers  •  7 mths ago
      When I saw the title of the article, I assumed that it was about Kim Kardashian.
    • ts178  •  7 mths ago
      What difference does it make if the monkey has herpes?
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