From WLTZ:
School are closed in five central Ohio districts on Wednesday, because of wild animals on the loose.
Dozens of animals escaped from a wild animal preserve that houses all kinds of exotic, and dangerous, creatures. Officials are advising residents in and around Muskingum County to stay inside and report any strange sightings. Police have already shot as many as 25 creatures on their way out to the Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville. Sheriff Matt Lutz with the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office said, “One of the deputies told me they felt they had shot approximately 25 on the way up to the house to check on Mr. Thompson. So, you know, that number could be high or low, depending. You know, when they’re shooting animals in all directions, it’s hard to keep track,”
The farm’s owner, Terry Thompson, was found dead outside his home earlier this evening. His death is still under investigation.
But what has police concerned right now is about 48 animals on the loose. The sheriff continued, “We’ve got a little bit of a list compiled. Mainly, there were grizzly bears and black bears there. There were cheetahs, there were lions,and there were tigers. These were the primary things that we would be concerned with. Any kind of a cat species and any kind of a bear species right now is what we’re mainly concerned with.”
No injuries have been reported from the animal escape.
Zanesville is between Columbus and Wheeling on I-70.
I-70 is a major East-West highway.
That means that there are many, many people passing through that area every day, and my guess is that people will start seeing animals that aren’t there in the first.
This has got to be the best reason to cancel school I’ve ever heard of.
Snow day?
How about a lion, tiger, and bear day?
You’re right. A very insteresting day off indeed! I’m just a little saddened they’ve had to shoot the animals. =[