Another Tirade About Animals

Now, I don't want to get preachy, but it's about to get alllll preachy up in here.  Here's the thing, I don't watch the news, or read the news for that matter, for many reasons.  I hate politics, I don't like to hear about wars, death, fires, and murder.  Those are things I like in my tv shows, like Law & Order SVU, not in real life.  I very reluctantly followed a bit of news today, to figure out what's going on with this whole animal thing in Ohio.  Most of you know how I feel about animals, so I think you know where I'm going with this and how I feel.  For the rest of you, I can tell you this-I'm super pissed.  It blows my mind that someone with such a history of disregard for animals and animal cruelty would be allowed to have not just one, but DOZENS of exotic, even rare animals.  I'm tempted to go off on a tirade about the douche bag who owned these animals in the first place, but something tells me he's paying for that now, so I'll let that slide.  Instead, my anger lies with the policemen and local government.   What really makes me mad is that the police in the town killed all but six of the escaped animals.  I know it's a dangerous situation, and they're huge, wild animals who are extremely capable of hurting people, but given that logic, perhaps you need to make your laws a bit more stringent, and make it more difficult for people to own such animals.  The fact that the law allows individuals to collect basically as many animals they want with one permit is astounding and asinine.  Again, I understand the perspective of the police, and the need to protect the people of the town, but by permitting someone to keep animals like this, some ownership and responsibility must be taken for the care of these animals.  It is the responsibility of state officials to make sure that if they allow people to have wild, exotic, and/or dangerous animals, the citizens must be protected from the animals, and the animals must be protected from the citizens.  In no way did those animals choose to live in Zanesville, Ohio.  TRUST ME.  I lived in Ohio.  It's not exactly paradise.  It's a good thing I don't live there anymore, because I promise I would be in that town, protesting the crap out of that police department and the city government.  Someone has to be held accountable for the loss of animal life, and the unnecessary animal cruelty.  I know they didn't have tranquilizers, but that infuriates me that 18 BENGAL TIGERS, some of the most beautiful animals in the world, of which there are only about 2000 left, had to be killed because the police waited too long to act on a volatile situation.  Everything I've read says the police had many issues with the animal owner, saying he was constantly threatening to release the animals, and that (like I've already said) he had previously been convicted of animal cruelty.  For ten years people had been complaining about the owner's treatment of the animals and since April, the Humane Society had been urging Ohio officials to grant an order that would have removed the animals, but the government in Ohio is a joke.  Guess what, fellas?  You should probably make sure his permit to have these animals gets taken away before something bad happens.  Wait, what?  You were scared and didn't have the balls to do anything?  Well great, now 50 animals are dead.  That the local police admit having problems with the animal owner for years, and being worried about something bad happening, but not having tranquilizers is inexcusable.  The first time the owner threatened to release the animals, precautions should have been taken to ensure the safety of both the citizens AND the animals.  I really and truly hope the people of Zanesville are raising hell right now because the police and the city and state officials were lazy and negligent and should be held accountable for the death of those animals.