WTF! ZOOKEEPER LETS THE WOLVES OUT & THEN KILLS HIMSELF!

An eccentric Ohio man killed himself after setting dozens of wild animals - including lions, bears and wolves - free from his own private zoo, police said Wednesday.

The majority of the animals have since been shot and killed by local police, but a few remain on the loose.

A total of 51 wild animals were freed by 61-year-old Terry Thompson on Tuesday, according to Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz.

"These are wild animals, wild animals that you would see on TV in Africa," he said at a news conference, noting that the large cats let loose include Bengal tigers and leopards.

Thompson recently was set free himself. He spent a year behind bars on federal weapons charges, according to The Associated Press. He had previously been cited in the past for animal abuse and neglect.

"The shooting of dozens of exotic animals in Zanesville is a tragic example of just how wrong things can go when people are allowed to keep wild animals," PETA said in a statement Wednesday. "Keeping exotic animals is inhumane and unsafe for both animals and people, and it's time that Ohio did something about it."

Authorities first arrived at the Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville about 6 p.m. on Tuesday. They found the animals roaming free, and Thompson dead, his body surrounded by several of the beasts.

Deputies had to kill animals at close range with their sidearms. One animal that got away was hit by a car on a nearby highway, he said.

Police later used assault rifles to kill the animals. But as the night dragged on, hunting grew difficult and more dangerous.

It was not possible to use tranquilizers to recover the creatures at night, according to wildlife expert Jack Hanna, who serves as the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo in Ohio.

"You cannot tranquilize an animal like this, a bear or a leopard or a tiger \[at night\]," Hanna said Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning, America."

The tranquilized animal could run off and hide, and become even harder to find, potentially putting officers at risk to attack, he said.

Hanna called conditions at the animal farm deplorable.

Authorities warned residents to use caution when venturing outside until all the animals were found.

There have not been any reports of people being attacked.




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