Animals set loose from Preserve in Columbus, OH

[TimothyBFan]

This is just sickening to me. I understand there is a danger but the order to shoot to kill instead of tranquilizing them and moving them to zoos? They didn't ask to be kept there!! Will be interesting to hear how they got set loose and how the owner died.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44956890#44956890

[Brooke]

I saw this on the news this morning, too.

All I can say is, these are very dangerous animals and I think they were just trying to keep people safe the quickest way possible. I'd be scared to death!

[Troubadour]

This was such a tragic story. I don't so much blame the police officers, they had quite a task on their hands (can you imagine if a child had been mauled to death?), but I am still sickened about the loss of life of these beautiful animals. I think Ohio needs to look long and hard at its animal protection laws. I can't believe that exotic animals such as these are allowed to be kept privately.

[Prettymaid]

I'm sorry I'm just now posting here. My immediate thoughts were similar to TBF's, but after hearing the experts I can now understand better.

Tranquilizing animals is much more difficult than it looks on TV shows. First, you have to have just the right dosage for each individual animal. I heard an expert say that he would be surprised if the entire state of Ohio had enough tanquilizer drugs onhand to take down all of these animals. You have to take the time to mix each dosage and then hope you find the right animal for the dosage you have wih you. Say you are able to shoot an animal with a tranquilizer - it may take 30 - 40 minutes for it to take effect. In the meantime, you have lost track of that animal, who may be roaming into busy traffic causing major accidents or worse.

Recently a female black bear and her two cubs were crossing a major highway near Norfolk, VA during rush hour. The mother was hit and killed by a car. The state game department was called to the scene and decided the best action under the circumstances was to tranquilize the cubs, who had each climbed into a tree along the median. The cubs were taken to the Wildlife Center of Virginia where they were given a thorough examination and placed in a bear enclosure, just the two of them. The next day the smaller of the two cubs was found dead in the enclosure. A necropsy was performed and it was determined that the bear cub had died from a slit in its intestine, most likely from the tranquilizer dart. I'm sure the person who darted the cub felt awful, but the truth is he was only doing what was best at the time.

These enforcement officers are not the enemy. They are doing what they need to do in a very bad situation that they did not create. Troub is right - this story needs to be a lesson to we who live in states like Ohio to pass laws making it illegal for people to keep exotic animals.