The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Five exotic animals
are back on the eastern Ohio farm where they lived months ago before their
owner abandoned them and released dozens of other wild animals into the rural
community, then killed himself.
The widow of Terry Thompson picked up
two leopards, two primates and a bear from the Columbus zoo on Friday and
returned them to their former home in Zanesville where 50 animals — including
black bears, mountain lions and Bengal tigers — were released Oct. 18.
Authorities killed 48 of the animals,
fearing for the public's safety. Two others were presumed eaten by other
animals. The surviving animals were found in cages and placed under quarantine
at the zoo. Ohio's agriculture director lifted the quarantine order Monday,
after test results showed all five animals were free of dangerously contagious
or infectious diseases.
Thompson's suicide, the animals'
release, and their killings led lawmakers to re-examine Ohio's restrictions on
exotic pets, which are considered some of the nation's weakest.
Now that Marian Thompson has
retrieved the animals, nothing in Ohio law allows state officials to check on
their welfare or require improvements to conditions in which they are kept. The
state's agriculture department says it will be up to local authorities to be
alert to their caretaking.
"Ohio has done everything in its
power to keep local officials informed throughout this process to ensure they
had as much information as possible in advance of this threat returning to
their backyard," said David Daniels, the state's agriculture director.
Ohio lawmakers are considering
legislation that would ban new ownership of dangerous animals — but grandfather
in owners such as Thompson. The bill is on track to pass the Legislature this
month.
Should it become law, Thompson would
have to register the animals with the state, obtain liability insurance and pay
permit fees of at least $1,000 by 2014. She also would have to pass a
background check, microchip the animals and meet strict new caretaking
standards, including fencing requirements.
For now, Muskingum County Sheriff
Matt Lutz said there is not much local authorities can do as long as the
animals are being cared for properly. "At the first complaint we have,
we'll follow up," he said.
Ron Welch, the county's assistant
prosecuting attorney, said his office made several attempts to persuade
Thompson's attorney to allow an inspector, the sheriff and a humane officer to
see the cages at the property before the animals returned. They were denied.
"We were very disappointed with
that because we felt that we just wanted at that point to provide some sense of
security to our citizens and our community that this was in fact a safe place
for these animals to be kept," Welch said.
Thompson arrived at a loading area at
the zoo mid-morning Friday, driving a pickup truck pulling a silver horse
trailer. The two leopards growled as they were loaded into crates in the
trailer. A forklift loaded a steel cage carrying the bear. Thompson put her
hand on the metal cage, as if to comfort the animal. In smaller carriers, the
monkeys were placed inside the backseat of the truck cab.
Zoo staffers, including veterinarians
and keepers, helped with the transfer. Two U.S. Department of Agriculture
inspectors were also on hand. Thompson ignored shouted questions from nearby
news reporters.
Thompson previously tried to get the
animals back from the zoo, but the quarantine prevented her from taking them.
Her home in Zanesville sits about a
quarter-mile from a rural road, surrounded by fields and pastures where horses
graze. A "Welcome Back!" balloon was tied to the mailbox, as her
truck carrying the animals made its way down the property's long lane.
News media could see the bear being
unloaded into a cage, of what appeared to be thick iron bars, in the yard. Some
of her neighbors were concerned about the animals' return.
Sam Kopchak, 65, said if the animals
were healthy, then his neighbor should get them back.
"I just wish she would take them
somewhere else," said Kopchak, a retired teacher whose property shares a
border with Thompson's.
Thompson's lawyer has told the
state's agriculture department that his client has adequate cages for the
surviving animals. Multiple messages left for Robert McClelland were not
returned.
Tom Stalf, the Columbus zoo's chief
operating officer, was at Thompson's the day of the Zanesville release. He said
the primates taken in the zoo had been held in separate, small bird cages, and
the brown bear was kept in a cage that wasn't fit for its size.
"There was feces on the floor,
in the cages," Stalf said. "You could not get a fresh breath."
Cyndi Huntsman, a friend of
Thompson's, has told The Associated Press that Thompson had cleaned the cages.
Of the animals that Terry Thompson
released, three leopards, two Celebes macaques and a bear survived and were
taken to the zoo. One spotted leopard had to be euthanized at the zoo in
January. The macaques are small primates.
The zoo said it raised more than
$44,000 in online donations to help cover the costs of at least $120,000 to
care for the animals.
___
Associated Press photographer Mark
Duncan contributed to this report from Zanesville, Ohio.
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