WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren OhioOhio man says his care of wild animals lacking

Ohio man says his care of wild animals lacking

ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) - The Ohio man who collected wild and rare animals admitted he was having a tough time taking care of them just days before he unleashed dozens of tigers, bears and lions into the countryside and killed himself.

A sheriff's deputy visited Terry Thompson's farm in eastern Ohio last week after a neighbor complained about his horses roaming away from the property where the wild animals were kept.

Records released Friday show Thompson said he had just gotten out of prison and didn't have good control over the animals.

Thompson freed his 56 animals Tuesday before committing suicide. Police officers shot and killed 48 of them in rural Ohio in the interest of public safety.

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