YIPPEE!!! Marian Thompson is getting her animals back…
Ohio Officials to Return Exotic Animals to Widow
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ap-newsalert-16242752#.T57OyKs7WAi
By ANN SANNER Associated Press
REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio April 30, 2012 (AP)
State officials will return five surviving exotic animals to a woman whose husband released dozens of wild creatures, then committed suicide.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture announced the decision Monday at an agency hearing in which the state was to defend its authority to quarantine the animals — two leopards, two primates and a bear — on suspicion of infectious diseases.
A spokeswoman for the agency said the state had exhausted its authority in the case and that the state's agriculture director would lift the quarantine order that was placed on the animals in October. Medical results released last week showed all five animals are free of the dangerously contagious or infectious diseases for which they were tested.
That means the animals can be returned to Marian Thompson of Zanesville, though it's unclear when. Logistics for retrieving the animals will have to be worked out between Thompson and the Columbus zoo, which has been holding the animals, said agriculture spokesman Erica Pitchford.
Once the animals are returned to Thompson, nothing in Ohio law allows state officials to check on their welfare or requires improvements to conditions in which they are kept, Pitchford said.
Pitchford said the local humane society could intervene with help from the county prosecutor if there were an investigation into animal cruelty.
"While repeated appeals have been made to local authorities to seek a court order to inspect the Thompson party to ensure the safety of the animals and the public, so far, no such local action has been taken," Pitchford said.
Messages were left Monday with the Muskingum County prosecutor and county humane officer.
Zoo spokeswoman Patty Peters said the facility must follow certain protocols to prepare for the animals to be handed back to Thompson. For instance, she said, the animals must be sedated for the transfer, but they cannot eat or drink for 24 hours before being given the sedative.
Peters said the animals had been fed Monday morning, and the earliest they could be moved would be Wednesday. She said other details were being worked out, and she didn't yet have additional information.
Thompson and her attorney, Robert McClelland, declined to answer reporters' questions about the animals' return as they left Monday's hearing at the department's headquarters in Reynoldsburg, just outside of Columbus.
Thompson is the widow of Terry Thompson, who released 56 animals — including black bears, mountain lions and Bengal tigers — from his eastern Ohio farm Oct. 18 before he committed suicide. Fearing for the public's safety, authorities killed 48 of the animals.
Three leopards, two Celebes macaques and a bear survived and were taken to the Columbus zoo. One spotted leopard had to be euthanized at the zoo in January, and the other animals have been there since. The macaques are small primates; the female weighs about 6 pounds, while the male weighs more than 10 pounds.
State veterinarian Dr. Tony Forshey said he's concerned about the welfare of the animals and the public safety once they are back in Marian Thompson's care.
"These are not domestic animals," he said. "They are wild animals. So it's important to have the proper housing and caging to ensure that these animals do not escape."
McClelland said his client has adequate cages for the surviving animals, according to a letter obtained last week by The Associated Press through a public records request.
State officials issued a quarantine order because they said they were concerned about reports that the animals lived in unsanitary conditions where they could be exposed to disease. The order prevented the zoo from releasing the animals until it was clear they were free of dangerous diseases.
Tom Stalf, the Columbus zoo's chief operating officer, said in a sworn statement released Friday by the agriculture department that he was at the Thompsons' property the day the animals were released, where he observed that two primates were held in separate, small bird cages. A brown bear was also kept in a cage that wasn't fit for its size, he said.
"The bear was very aggressive and was biting at the wire cage," Stalf said in the April 24 affidavit.
Terry Thompson's suicide, the animals' release and their killings led lawmakers to re-examine the state's restrictions on exotic pets, which are considered some of the nation's weakest. The state Senate recently passed a bill that would ban new ownership of monkeys, lions and other exotic animals. It now goes to the House for consideration.
Gov. John Kasich, the Columbus zoo, and the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation support the measure, which would allow current owners to keep their animals by obtaining a new state-issued permit by 2014 and meeting other strict conditions. Facilities accredited by some national zoo groups would be exempt from the bill, along with sanctuaries and research institutions.
**Let me get this straight…
"Messages were left Monday with the Muskingum County prosecutor and county humane officer." Clearly indicates they are planning on a seizing them once they are returned…WHAT F**KING BULLSHIT!!! FAKE animal seizures don't cut it and I hope that Marian Thompson and her lawyer will take steps that will prevent that from happening…SHE DID NOTHING WRONG TO BEGIN WITH…MAKE IT STOP!!!
My next post will be all about the Columbus Zoo…Tom Stalf needs to be fired and replaced IMMEDIATELY!!! His opinion -WORTHLESS!!! And if I was a bear with all tyhat crap going on I would be aggressive and biting at the bars of the cage myself…this guy needs to get a life and out of the zoo business…He has so many animals suffering at that disgusting zoo he doesn't have time to state his opinion…FIRE HIS ASS!!!
"Gov. John Kasich, the Columbus zoo, and the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation support the measure"
I am disgusted by this…Next post will open your eyes once and for all!!!
**DISCLAIMER IN PLACE FOR THIS BLOG
~ by topcatsroar on April 30, 2012.
Tags: animal cruelty, anmimals, Columbus Zoo, H$U$, HSUS, Humane officer, Muskingum County Ohio, Narian Thompson, OHIO, Pitychford, Private Exotic Animal Ownership, Ton Stalf, Zanesville, Zaneville Ohio
8 Responses to "YIPPEE!!! Marian Thompson is getting her animals back…"
And what about the two primates kept in small birdcages? I can just picture Ceasar, from Planet of the Apes, doing a contortionist act inside the type of cage used in the Tweety bird cartoons! "Small" birdcage could be just about anything, up to 3 or 4 feet wide, and with bars strong enough to hold a bear. So again, it's how they say that stuff that creates an erroneous impression in people's minds. -Kind of like the deplorable conditions of every single private owner's property, but certainly not the zoo.
Fred said this on	April 30, 2012 at 3:02 pm | Reply
Oh what a web we weave when we attempt to deceive…… There is such a tangled web in Ohio. How long will Mrs. Thompson be allowed to keep her animals??? Will she "suddenly become despondent over her husband's death & commit suicide also?" Mr. Thompson's "suicide" stinks like an overflowing cat litter box that hasn't been changed in weeks. But will his suicide ever be really investigated??? I seriously doubt it. Sherriff Lutz is so sure the tricks of smoke & mirrors will prevent anyone from really questioning all the information on Mr. Thompson's suicide. Those who do question this "suicide", are mocked by the news media. They don't seem to want to investigate anything any more. They appear to be lazy & to acceppt whatever they're told by those in charge??? What happened to journalists such as though who broke Watergate??? Has the news media become a flock of "sheepeble."????
STAND UP & FIGHT!!!! Even if you don't live in Ohio, all that occurs there involving animals affects all of us who have animals in the U.S. Stand up & fight for your rights to own animals!!! Fight to have the Zaneville incident investigated by those who have no ties or interests in Ohio!!! Fight, don't stand there with a blank expression on your face & your brains growing dusty from the lack of use!!! Think people, think & ask questions!!! If our founding fathers had sat on their duffs & did not question & act, we would still be part of the British Empire!!! Has all the courage of americans been lost in history??? Fight bad laws reguarding animals, fight bad raids, fight all attempts to control our rights to own animals!!! No ban
is a good ban!!!
Help Mrs. Thompson fight off the vultures who will try to peck at her rights. Help her know her back is covered & her animals will remain her animals. Help fight bad laws & bad law officials. Dust off your brains & think!!! See what is happening!!! True journalists fight your way out of the pile of those who accept the status quo & won't look into suspicious cases!!! Think & fight for all of our rights!!!
snappingturtle said this on	April 30, 2012 at 3:43 pm | Reply
Very well Said, I totally agree with you!!!!
Heather said this on	April 30, 2012 at 9:19 pm | Reply
Yep they are trying every angle to make it look worse the small bird cage thing yea ummm is it better living in quarantene since Oct at the zoo in a small cage not like they were out and about… They should be ashamed for having them this long, give her what is hers and leave her alone!!!! If I were her I would sue the crap out of them for what they did on my property to the rest of my animals and for holding these….. they owe her big time!!!
KC said this on	April 30, 2012 at 5:40 pm | Reply
KC…Read the bottom of that article…already called the Human Officer and the animals haven't even been returned yet!!! They are already building a cruelty case on her…You are absolutely right…LEAVE HER ALONE!!! I wonder when the last time the Humane Officer for Delaware County went to the Columbus Zoo because from the looks of it, it is entirely possible he/she never has!!! Yet people doing a good job aren't even given a chance…people having their animals seized and taken to places like the Columbus Zoo…SHUT that nasty place down!!!
topcatsroar said this on	April 30, 2012 at 6:34 pm | Reply
For all that thinks it is wrong for her to get the animals back and think the the zoo is a better place for them please take the time to watch the Video made and placed on youtube for everyone to see, maybe you will look at it differently!!!!! I would not place any animal in there care!!!!! The Video is called….The Truth About Jack Hanna's Columbus Zoo In Ohio
The video is posted n the blog as well…I am so troubled they are already planning a cruelty case against her…hasn't this woman been thru enough?!?
topcatsroar said this on	April 30, 2012 at 11:57 pm | Reply
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