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On Tuesday October 18th a man released over 50 wild animals from their cages on an exotic animal park in Muskingum County Ohio.  The man then apparently shot himself. 

When police arrived they began shooting the animals.

Among the dead are Grizzly Bears, Baboons, 17 lions, Wolves, Leopards, Cheetahs, Mountain Lions, Black Bears and perhaps most devastatingly 18 Bengal Tigers of which there are only an estimated 1400 left in the entire world.

I am literally heartbroken over this.  The images have left me feeling sick to my stomach.  And while I do weep for the loss of these animals I do not blame the police for what they did.

Had they allowed these animals to escape into the surrounding woods throughout nightfall they surely would have taken several lives before being captured.

So while it is perfectly acceptable to be outraged over the death of these beautiful creatures, do not be outraged at the officers who shot them.  They were only doing what had to be done to protect the citizens.  Instead be angry with the political officials who allow lax or entirely nonexistent laws regarding the purchasing and housing of exotic animals.

Wild animals are not meant to be pets.  Zoos and circuses are bad enough but it is even more dangerous and terrible when someone attempts to contain an exotic animal in their backyard.

From here