Exotic animal owner's items to be auctioned off

Three dozen horses, ponies and donkeys are being put up for auction from the estate of a suicidal man who released dozens of exotic animals in eastern Ohio two years ago.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that thousands of items from Terry Thompson's estate will be up for bid on Aug. 14 at his farm in Zanesville.

Jeff Koehler, owner of SE Ohio Auctions, says he and Thompson's widow, Marian, spent much of a year identifying what would be sold. Pieces include more than 60 cars - some of them vintage - petting-zoo equipment, saddles, motorcycles, farm equipment and an Amish buggy.

Koehler says a hovercraft and two choppers built by Terry Thompson also are for sale. He says he's charging a $25-per-car admission fee to try to deter "a lot of curiosity-seekers."

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