Exotic Animal Mayhem

By far, one of the strangest stories of October 2011 was the exotic animal invasion in Ohio. Terry Thompson, 62, got up one morning and decided to end his life. Run-ins with the law that included jail time, a broken marriage and mental health issues led to a final act of defiance and desperation. After Thompson released all but six of his animals into the surrounding woods, he shot himself and died on the spot. This led to a bizarre 24-hour exotic animal hunting spree in the sleepy little town of Zanesville.

Thompson began collecting exotic animals several years ago. He transformed his farm into a private zoo that grew to mammoth proportions. Makeshift cages held fifty tigers, bears, wolves, monkeys, apes, lions and other wild animals. The cost of running his personal zoo must have been outlandish.  Obviously, Thompson had not weighed out the full responsibility of his hobby. Because the animals were released at night, local authorities had to exterminate 48 of the escaped creatures.  Several of the killed tigers were on the endangered animal list. The loss was staggering.

Thompson’s collection, like many other people across the U.S., was a ticking time bomb. Ohio has some of the most lax laws in the nation on the ownership of exotic pets. But most other states are not much better. It is hard to fathom that in my state of Texas someone can buy a grizzly bear or lion cub for about $500 at a legal auction house. No licensing, background check or special permit is needed. On a whim, Bubba Jones can buy a baby tiger to give to his kids without any forethought. But eventually that cute little 50-pound kitten will be able to eat Bubba’s children. Bubba may decide to solve his problem by shooting the family pet,, pawning it off on another unprepared idiot, or possibly even releasing it into the wild.

The Zanesville story struck me hard because a month ago my children and I visited the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary (IEAS) in Boyd, TX. The Sanctuary is thirty minutes west of Fort Worth and is worthy of a visit and financial support. Started as a non-profit in 1988, IEAS founder saw the growing danger of the exotic animal trade in the U.S. Since its genesis, the IEAS has become a permanent sanctuary for abused, abandoned, neglected and confiscated animals.  Recently, they have added a several acre black bear sanctuary.

Several times a week the IEAS staff leads groups through the Sanctuary to see the wonderful facility and hear the background stories of saved animals and witness the unique need that the facility meets.  Some of the animals’ stories astounded me. Like the college kid that bought a tiger for his frat house (eventually giving it to his grandfather to hold on his farm until he got out of college), or the old woman who had two full grown serval cats as pets (serval cats are as big as dogs), or the Mexican circus that was traveling around the U.S. with several lions and tigers, all of which had lived their whole lives in 5 x 9 cages.

If you live in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area, take a day to visit the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary. It makes for a perfect family adventure. Learn about the good work they are doing and consider giving into their mission. After the crazy Zanesville animal massacre the IEAS will give you hope that someone is out their combating the insanity.

For more information go to: www.BigCat.org or call the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary at 940-433-5091 to get out tour times or to set up a group visit.  Tours are given on a donation basis, but plan to give generously to their cause. This is one of those very cool hidden gems that you do not want to miss.

Tagged as: Exotic animals, IEAS, International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, zanesville