  Four Dozen Dead in Ohio  Written by PETA | October 19, 2011
Zanesville, Ohio, sheriff’s deputies armed with assault rifles
opened fire on dozens of “mature, very big, aggressive” lions,
tigers, cheetahs, wolves, and bears who had escaped from a
private menagerie in Ohio after the farm’s owner, Terry
Thompson, was found dead and the animals’ cage doors were left
open and fences unsecured. Primates were found locked in cages
inside the house. 48 animals were killed.   Thompson had a long
history of brushes with the law and had just completed a one-
year sentence on two federal counts of possessing illegal
firearms. In November 2005, Thompson was convicted of, among
other things, cruelty to animals and was subsequently sentenced
to six months of house arrest and fined $2,870. PETA had filed
complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding
Thompson’s illegal activities, including exhibiting animals
without a license and declawing tiger cubs in violation of the
Animal Welfare Act.  Ohio has no regula