Thompson's lawyer has told the state's agriculture department that his client has adequate cages for the surviving animals. Multiple messages left for Robert McClelland were not returned.
Tom Stalf, the Columbus zoo's chief operating officer, was at Thompson's the day of the Zanesville release. He said the primates taken in the zoo had been held in separate, small bird cages, and the brown bear was kept in a cage that wasn't fit for its size.
"There was feces on the floor, in the cages," Stalf said. "You could not get a fresh breath."
Cyndi Huntsman, a friend of Thompson's, has told The Associated Press that Thompson had cleaned the cages.
Of the animals that Terry Thompson released, three leopards, two Celebes macaques and a bear survived and were taken to the zoo. One spotted leopard had to be euthanized at the zoo in January. The macaques are small primates.
The zoo said it raised more than $44,000 in online donations to help cover the costs of at least $120,000 to care for the animals.
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Associated Press photographer Mark Duncan contributed to this report from Zanesville, Ohio.
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