Wild Animal Protection

[Nnobby45]

I'm thinking a magnum load of 00 buck or a rifle in the .458 range but I know this would be the absolute last choice, taking on such a creature

Leopards might weigh 150 lb. A big lion could go well over 450, a black bear maybe 400 lb. or so. The animals in this incident may not have been well cared for and may weigh a lot less----that's typical. Not very comforting that they'd also be rather hungry and not afraid of humans like their kin in the wild.

Don't need a rifle in the .458 range. A.375 H&H or .338 Win. is big medicine for the largest carnivores in N. America, some of which reach 1500 lb.

Quit thinking buckshot for your 12. ga. Think slugs. That's what conservation officers in Alaska and the lower 48 carry in their shotguns.

However, buck shot on a leopard size critter would be fine. Not to say it wouldn't be effective on anything REAL close. Stay away from the poor performing #4 buck. #1 up to 00 buck would be good, but with lions and bears you need to break bones, penetrate, and hurt the critter. That's why I said slugs----Brennekes.

[Double Naught Spy]

What do you do? A 9mm, 38 or 40 will just upset the animal at best.

Then you are a bit late in working on your aim, eh?

Actually, I would not want to count on those calibers with a grizzly or an African lion, but the notion that it would just upset them at best isn't necessarily true. At best, it they will be incapacitated (unconscious or dead). At second best for you is that they vacate your premises as a result of the impact or the sound. The worst case scenario is that it would just upset them.

My first thought was an animal rights activist had set them loose. Unfortunately, guys like this preserve owner are a big reason why there are so many over-the-top activists... But it was the owner, himself.

There had been another couple of weird cases with exotic animal owners in Ohio already, apparently crimes committed against them by activitist. I figured activitists targeted this guy for being a jerk as well.

I find it weird that a convicted felon could maintain the licenses to keep those animals, though, especially since he'd had citations for not maintaining them properly.

Ohio has some of the most lax laws in the US on exotic animals. Jack Hanna was discussing how they had been pushing for much more costly licensing fees to keep less than serious and less than financially capable folks from being in these sorts of situations where they could not care for the animals properly. I don't see why they would let a guy convicted of animal cruelty (prior to serving time for weapons charges) have such animals, but the laws in Ohio are that lax.

[Alaska444]

Those are good for zombies but not for lions, tigers and bears. LOL

Kind of a weird story, but it seems to be a sign of our times. Sad to see such an evil act I suspect was intended for true terror. Glad that they didn't try to sedate the critters. They did the right thing shooting them.

What is happening to this nation? Has everyone started to go completely nuts?

As far keeping with 50+ exotic animals running around, large bore rifles, high powered rifles are the only real option.

[Vermonter]

Buying that revolver we've been discussing over in the revolver forum. Admittadlly its a bear thread. Hadnt given much thought to lions.

Hopefully no humans were hurt. Sad to see animals in that condition in the first place. They didnt have much of a life to begin with.

[psyfly]

Re: 12ga. and big cats.

A couple of years ago one of the outdoor channels had a vid (about 30 minutes long; sorry, but I can't find a link to it) of a professional hunter hired to dispatch a wounded leopard.

He carried, I believe, a 12ga. double gun and sustained severe injuries when he was mauled.

He stated, while having part of his scalp sewn back, that it was the last time he would trust a shotgun for the task.

Even a lowly 30-30, I believe, would be preferable.

I would likely get my semi-auto 30-06 out of storage.

And then stay in my house!

Best,

Will

[.wheelgunner.]

How about you just stay in the house?

[Doc TH]

I believe Wheelgun has the best idea: just stay indoors.
I do not believe that a handgun of any caliber is a prudent choice for any of these animals. While something like a 44 mag or above might suffice for a leopard, they are a lot faster than you can be, and a miss is a miss.
Check out any number of videos on lion hunting to see how quick these very large predators are and how rapidly they can be on top of you. You have very little time to get off an aimed shot, and less to get off a second. Guess why so many professional African hunters used a double rifle?
Without experience or experienced backup it just does not make sense to confront any of those species, regardless of your armament.

[Dwight55]

Annnnnnnnnnnd, . . . now for page 4 of the story: last night (Tuesday the 25th) the local CBS affiliate (WBNS-10, Columbus, Ohio) was carrying a story about a black leapord that was seen about 60 or 80 miles West of the original story.

They had foot prints, and big claw marks on a tree trunk where they had suspended a venison ham to see if anything out there was hungry. Most of the meat was gone.

I carry outdoors anyway, . . . but makes one think about it if they didn't. I'm 60 miles north, . . . but .............................

May God bless,
Dwight

[BlackFeather]

There have been "Black Panther" sightings in Ohio for a long time. It's likely just a bit of the hysteria from the recent incident coupled with the old sightings. I also remember watching a show where someone had a "big" black cat on camera, thinking it was a panther. It was later shown to be a normal black cat. But who knows....

[Glenn E. Meyer]

There was that mountain lion that they recently tracked from Montana or Idaho to Conn. - IIRC - or something like that!

The mountain lions are getting closer to San Antonio!!

Our local park for hiking has a warning sign for such. Wife asks if I take enough gun when we hike.

[PH/CIB]

Geez,,,I quess I better put some meat out by the bird feeders!

Had an incident with a water buffalo in Nam once, was shaking in my boots with my little 223/556 M16, Thank God some little kid from the Vil, came out and saved his John Deere Tractor before I shot it!!!