As many as 48 wild animals, including lions, tigers, bears, wolves and cheetahs could be on the loose in the vicinity of Zanesville, Ohio, after they escaped from a private wildlife sanctuary, police said last night. Officer’s say they have shot 25 of the animals so far, but it’s not clear exactly how many escaped, or where they are now.

Like the plot of a movie, the owner of the sanctuary, Terry Thompson, was found dead, but officers didn’t want to speculate on exactly how he died. Leaving little the imagination however, “several aggressive animals” were near him when deputies arrived, and had to be shot.

Sheriff Matt Lutz, of the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department, warned attendees of a press conference:

These are wild animals that you would see on TV in Africa. This is a bad situation.

It’s been a situation for a long time. Any kind of cat species or bear species is what we are concerned about. We don’t know how much of a head start these animals have on us.

The incident occurred at Muskingum County Animal Farm, in east-central Ohio. Giraffes and camels are also amongst the escapees.

Cages have been found open, and deputies have established from a caregiver that the animals were last fed on Monday.

Police describe the animals as “mature, very big and aggressive,” and multiple sightings have been reported from along a nearby highway.

Police were patrolling the 40-acre farm and the surrounding areas, admitting that boundary fences had not been properly secured, which may have aided some of the animals in their escape attempts.

They’ve even tried putting food in the cages in an effort to lure some of the animals back.

Columbus Zoo staff were also on the property, hoping to tranquilise and capture some of the animals.

Ohio State Highway Patrol cordoned off a large area near Interstate 70, and are using infrared technology to try and locate animals.

[Source: NYTimes]