Exotic Animal - Ohio Zoo Owner The Inside Story - Terry Thompson

Terry Thompson

Courtesy Dr. Robert Masone

Terry Thompson passed on below the best impressive regarding circumstances.

The 62-year-old owner of your spectacular animal town about Tuesday (including lions, Bengal tigers, baby wolves plus cheetahs) prior to acquiring his / her unique life. Authorities killed forty-nine in the wildlife to safeguard the public and claimed usually the one solitary monkey that isn't accounted regarding has been probably consumed by way of a tiger.

But five in the dogs were being tranquilized and also used to be able to one place zoo. So who will be individuals pets along with who is this man lurking behind the most weird massacre in recent memory?

Above all, associates say, Thompson appeared to be an animal lover.

When Dr. Robert Masone visited Thompson's farm last November, he seemed to be astounded during what this individual saw.

"If I could possibly explain just what exactly I were feeling which day upon that will plantation having one phrase it was love," affirms Masone, a great anesthesiologist inside Lancaster, Ohio, who'd happen to be friends along with Thompson intended for 12-15 years.

"Every animal had been nicely ingested treatment of. Every animal had some sort of name. He'd contact these through on the wall and they kissed your ex boyfriend possibly the grizzly bear. When your dog would that, Terry said, 'Oh, I had a lover in senior high school that kissed a lot better than that.' He appeared to be an authentic Dr. Doolittle."

His remaining animals about three leopards, two monkeys along with a bear were consumed towards Columbus Zoo as well as Aquarium Tuesday, even nevertheless Thompson's better half Marian tearfully shared with overseer emeritus Jack Hanna this your lady were going to treatment intended for them herself.

"She said, 'I've dropped my husband, I've missing all my family members now, and right now you might be using my children,' " Hanna explains PEOPLE. "I placed her at this time there for 3 to 4 moments 'Please allow me to receive your own animals. I'll take care of your children.' She said, 'O.K., O.K. ?' "

A Troubled PastMasone designed his pay a visit to to the farm soon prior to Thompson traveled to dejecting prison about national firearm charges. A Vietnam veteran, Thompson seemed to be unveiled to a local halfway house hold around August, after that went household on Sept. 30.

His good friends believe the particular village and his or her undoubtedly shaky money (he were supposed to pay $68,000 to this IRS and also local within to come back taxes and also possessed two federal government liens placed with their home very last year, according towards the AP) got worse while Thompson appeared to be at the rear of bars. They say that his wife still left him or her soon after.

"While he / she appeared to be throughout prison, I reckon of which Marian had the most difficult moment taking care in the animals," states Max Perdue, 63, who'd acknowledged Thompson for 40 years. "Lawyer expenses and also almost everything pretty much broke him."

Court information show Thompson's longtime battles with the bodies and with neighbors. While he was convicted connected with one animal cruelty event within 2005 (some deceased cattle were found on his property), he beat other, similar accusations in opposition to him inside 2008.

"I consider he or she sensed the actual strain with people switching on your pet and observing him or her on account of precisely what he or she did, his entire life," adds Masone, exactly who says Thompson been inflicted by post-traumatic worry disorder.

"If a male features nowhere for you to turn, he despairs and he or she went on his very own life," says Masone. "He weren't thinking right plus idea he ended up being facilitating the actual animals through presenting them their independence before he left them. He'd recently been pressed for the limit plus he or she snapped."

Labor with LoveThompson begun boosting spectacular family pets with 1977 as soon as he acquired some sort of baby lion cub, Simba, like a personal gift pertaining to his wife, he or she explained to a Zanesville Times Recorder media reporter in 2008.

As his selection grew with the up coming 24 years, he occasionally used all of them regarding image shoots or perhaps commercials (video surfaced this kind of few days regarding one too around some sort of email with supermodel Heidi Klum ) nevertheless increasing these types of animals was not about dollars to get Thompson.

"I have these people simply because I really like these and also am keen to try and do anything I have got to handle them," Thompson told Zanesville Times Recorder media reporter Kathy Thompson. "What I do not own them for is definitely income ? I include seven veterinarians on phone from any time. If probably my bears gets some sort of hangnail, I telephone a a number of vet. If a cat sneezes, I call a different vet."

"Terry dearly loved those animals," adds Perdue. "Terry was not many kind of nut. He was to the issue where they didn't have got any other manner out."