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2 chimps escape outside Vegas; 1 shot dead, 1 tranquilized
Two chimpanzees escaped their enclosure in a Las Vegas-area neighborhood this morning. Police shot and killed one and tranquilized the other.
Update at 8:55 p.m. ET: The owners of the chimpanzees, David and Sheri Potochan, have had a special-use permit to keep the primates on their property in unincorporated Clark County since at least 2003, spokesman Dan Kulin told On Deadline, citing the couple’s application. He did not immediately know if they had been approved earlier.
Kulin said the land-use permit must be renewed every five years, but calls for a two-year review. Applicants must also be licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Kulin said the county has approved the keeping of exotic animals at 27 locations outside the city limits of Las Vegas, including “large cats.” He did not have a breakdown on the types of exotic or wild animals being kept in the county.
On their ’03 application, the Potochans described the chimpanzees’ enclosure as an 800-square-foot, 10-foot-tall steel cage. Kulin did not know if the cage was outdoors or inside another structure.
[SNIP] Yeah, I thought it was Harry Reid, too.
Anonymous
July 13th, 2012
Uh oh, shot an unarmed chimp. Get ready for the million chimp march.
old_oaks
July 13th, 2012
I bet a certain D.C. cop wishes he was with the Vegas PD right about now.
Left Coast Dan
July 13th, 2012
That is unnecessarily cruel!!!1!
Sorry, been around Santa Monica too long.
Billy Fuster
July 13th, 2012
Some animals just aren’t meant to be pets and it takes a person with a brain to figure this out.
Birdie Num Num
July 13th, 2012
Zimmermannnnnnnnn!!!!!!
CrustyB
July 13th, 2012
“Exotic” is basically a euphemism for “could potentially rip your face off.”
Unneutral
July 13th, 2012
Contrary to wide spread rumors, they aren’t believed to be related to Harry Reid.
cfm990
July 13th, 2012
I want to know the ballistics.
How many hits?
What caliber?
What ammunition?
Home defense is a serious matter.
Danne
July 13th, 2012
Let’s turn Washington DC into an “eclosure”…hundreds of chimps escape there annually when congress lets out. If any get out…shoot em!
Heidi Heidi Heidi Ho
July 14th, 2012
Has it yet been revealed if they were Obama voters?