Be careful who you call a hick....
So I’m browsing shit on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter this morning and I come across a couple different posts and comments by people calling the police department in Muskingum County, Ohio a bunch of “dumb hicks” and whatnot, based on the killings of the exotic animals in Ohio.
First, let me say that I think this whole thing is a complete tragedy. I don’t think anyone feels warm and fuzzy that these beautiful and majestic creatures had to lose their lives, especially the Bengal Tigers, which are already suffering massively dwindling numbers worldwide and in their natural habitat.
To suggest that the police who shot and killed these animals enjoyed doing it, or were on some sort of a hunting free-for-all is probably the most ignorant fucking thing I have ever read. I wonder how compassionate you would be when a fucking lion is charging towards you in the dark, in the rain, and all you have on you is a gun. You’re not gonna out-run a wild, hungry, frightened lion or a bear.
You’re gonna preserve your own life.
Let’s consider just a few facts—-
-they were underfed
-they are WILD animals
-it was DARK and raining when the police arrived at the scene and were trying to get a handle on the situation
-I’m not a vet or animal specialist so I don’t really know, but according to JACK HANNA, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, it’s really fucking hard to try to tranquilize wild animals in the dark with little to no visibility
-even night-vision goggles have grossly limited visibility in the rain (i’ve used them before, I know this for fact)
-The police department’s #1 job is public safety.
-The police department’s #1 job is public safety.
I wonder if your position would change if there was a half-starved fucking grizzly bear running around within miles of where your 5 year old goes outside to go to school in the morning. Because I’m pretty sure the 5 year old, to the fucking BEAR, looks like a freaking cheeseburger.
Even JACK HANNA, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, supports the actions of the Muskingum County Police Dept. While this is a tragedy of epic proportions, a GREATER tragedy would have been if any human life was taken, and it’s actually kind of a miracle and a huge credit to the police that NO HUMAN LIFE WAS HARMED.
I’m all for animal rights…. but shouldn’t we be a little more concerned for people?
Watch this video:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/jack-hannah-escaped-wild-animals-ohio-14767710
If you still want to complain, complain about this:
-Ohio is among 10 (?) states with extremely lax laws on the ownership and possession of exotic animals
-Ohio HAD a law on the books regulating the ownership and possession of exotic animals, but our Republican governor let the law expire
-Police visited the property where these animals were living several times over the last several years, they were fully aware of the deplorable living conditions, the questionable food supply, and the large number of animals living on this property, BUT THE GUY WHO OWNED THE ANIMALS AND PROPERTY WERE WITHIN THE LAW so there was nothing the police could do.
-WE NEED NEWER AND BETTER LAWS REGARDING THE OWNERSHIP AND POSSESSION OF EXOTIC ANIMALS
-Blame the fucking lawmakers, not the Police, who were doing their goddamn job of protecting the public.
Nothing pisses me off more than some fucking idiot, who only knows half the story, spouting off their half-baked opinion without knowing or understanding the facts of the situation
And even worse than these assholes, are the dumbfucks who reblog, retweet and agree with these uninformed opinions, while knowing even less about the situation.
I’m not saying you need to agree with me….but at least do a little research before you shout off at the mouth.
Also, watch this:
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/videos/hanna-a-wild-animal-is-like-a-loaded-gun
And read this:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/10/19/sheriff-defends-shooting-animals.html
And if you still need something to rage over….
then fucking READ THIS:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/21/chinese-toddler-run-over-_0_n_1023285.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008
A CHINESE TODDLER WAS RUN OVER, TWICE, AND LEFT BLEEDING AND DYING ON THE STREET WHILE 18 PEOPLE JUST WALKED BY AND DID NOTHING.
Yeah, I feel bad about the animals in Ohio. It should never have happened in the first place, the animals shouldn’t have been there in the first fucking place…. but CAN WE NOT SHOW A LITTLE CONCERN OVER A FREAKING BABY THAT WAS KILLED WHILE PEOPLE DID NOTHING?
WHY DON’T YOU RAGE ABOUT THAT?
So before you call someone a “hick”…. take a look in the mirror first, and consider the facts.
Sheriff: 56 exotic animals escaped from farm near Zanesville; 49 killed by authorities
dispatch.comit is upsetting to see all these beautiful creatures dead, but do people honestly believe that Muskingum County has an arsenal of tranquilizers or training to capture over 50 exotic animals..we aren’t talking about a contained incident, families live in that area. Luckily, no one was hurt and some animals were saved. The situation is horrible but it could have been alot worse. I’m only a county away and I would have freaked out if I saw a lion on my lawn!
Freed animals cause panic in Ohio, face certain death instead of recapture. Well done Ohio.
smh.com.au
If nothing else, we learn just how fragile the human-centric habitat is when I depressed or possible insane farmer releases his collection of exotic animals before shooting himself dead.
Beyond the crazed tale of how this man released his animals and committed suicide lay the contact details of Lifeline and other help line numbers as if the media feel some level of duty of care or responsibility to reach out to other crazy or depressed members of society.
No help line for the 18 bengal tigers, 17 lions, six black bears, three mountain lions, two grizzly bears and two wolves though - on how best to avoid the shoot-to-kill chaos that was carried out by local law enforcement. Nope, they’re just dead. Because shooting tranquilizer darts to at least give them a chance to fall asleep and be recaptured and relocated was too much work or too far fetched for them.
The whole situation is bizarre. Let’s face it, they’ve known about animal cruelty or mistreatment for some time and the local agencies did nothing to protect these animals. How one person is allowed to keep so many exotic animals in poor conditions for so long without being thoroughly inspected for credentials and experience at the highest level on how to manage these animals is simply beyond comprehension.
Shame on them.
Missing Bear, Mountain Lion Killed; Monkey, Wolf Still Loose
www2.nbc4i.comunreal, the animals are now one county away rather than two..take cover!
Lions, tigers, bears run loose at Ohio exotic animal farm
reuters.comwoke up to this..only two counties away..I’m sure I’m not in immediate danger but seriously, wow.
Rant about the stuff going down in Zanesville.
Listen. Matt did the best he could in making a decision that would protect the citizens. When he took office he never promised to protect the lions or tigers. No. He said he’s protect the humans. He made the best decision when he told his deputies to shoot to kill. They had an hour and a half left of sunlight left when they found out with no tranqualizer guns nearby, and before you argue about them shooting at night, you can’t tranq at night. And I’ve heard some bullshit about the deputies just walking in and shooting the animals in the cages. No. They shot the ones that were outside of the cages. The ones that were still in the cages were transported to the Columbus Zoo for testing. Matt did an amazing job today, and I’m insanely proud to say I know him. I’m the biggest animal lover in the world, and it kills me to know that they had to kill 48 animals with 2 still possible to add to that count, but I understand the choice he made. Like Jack Hanna said there was 18 Bengal Tigers…one of those could take down a 2,000 pound water buffalo. So 18 of those with humans? No. Matt decided that to keep the community safe he would have to take the heat that came with shooting to kill. I know some deputies so I know how much it would kill them to shoot to kill an animal. So they aren’t being trigger happy. You can say all you want about how this is a tragedy but think about this. What if a child was killed because you didn’t want them to shoot to kill? That would be worse. And if they weren’t shooting to kill it’d be a lot more than just one child. We’re so lucky that no one has even been injured because of this.
Basically, back off Matt and the deputies. They’re doing their best. Stop saying they’re terrible humans, or dicks, or whatever, they’re protecting human life. Do I like seeing 48 animals dead? NO. Never! But would I rather 48 dead than the massacre that could have happened? Yes. Totally.
Matt if you ever happen to see this, just know how much I support you in this decision and every decision you make. You kept our county safe, and made the best decision you could. I know how much this is killing you.
-Nancy
