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Ohio Farm: Police were forced to shoot animals roaming the zoo (Pic: AP)
SHOT animals lay strewn across a field yesterday after a zoo’s owner opened cages and set them free.

The beasts included grizzly bears, wolves, cheetahs and tigers which brought panic to a town after being released from the 40-acre farm.
Most of the 50-plus animals were shot by police with assault rifles while the creatures roamed nearby streets and countryside, but locals were warned to stay indoors and schools were closed as officers tracked down the remaining beasts.
Sheriff Matt Lutz warned: “The animals are mature, very big and aggressive.”
The panic was caused when the zoo’s owner Terry Thompson left the animals’ cages open before killing himself. US police found Mr Thompson’s body when they went to his farm after getting reports of creatures running free in Zanesville, Ohio, on Tuesday.
Dead animals are seen on Terry Thompson's property where exotic animals were kept in Zanesville, Ohio (Pic: Reuters)
Dead bodies on Terry Thompson's property
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Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz speaks to the media in Zanesville, Ohio (Pic: Reuters)
Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz speaks to the media
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More than 50 officers spent the night hunting them and were under orders to shoot to kill as it was not safe to tranquillise them in the dark.
There were multiple sightings of the beasts along a nearby highway and flashing road signs told motorists “Caution exotic animals” and “Stay in vehicle”.
Sheriff Lutz would not say how Mr Thompson died but revealed that when deputies arrived at Muskingum County Animal Farm several aggressive animals were near his body and had to be shot.
Orang-utans and chimps were in his home but those were still in their cages. Officers saw many other animals outside their cages and shot them on sight.
Zoo neighbour Danielle White said that a few weeks ago she had to avoid camels grazing on the side of a road.
She added: “It’s always been a fear of mine knowing he had all those animals. He was in hot water because of them, because of permits, and the creatures escaping all the time.”
Officials said Mr Thompson had permits to keep four bears. Ohio has some of the US’s weakest restrictions on exotic pets.

18 Bengal tigers.......Dead
9 male lions.............Dead
8 female lions..........Dead
6 black bears...........Dead
3 mountain lions.....Dead
2 grizzly bears.........Dead
1 baboon...................Dead
1 wolf.........................Dead
1 grizzly bear.....Captured
3 leopards.........Captured
2 monkeys.........Captured
1 monkey...............Missing
1 grey wolf............Missing