I actually remember the Chris Jones piece in Esquire being even better. Looking back Esquire Chris Jones piece, this was a great moment for long form journalism.
Someone posted both of these here more than a year ago and I sat and read them both straight through. I think they are both great - both capture different but important parts of the story. I don't live far from where this happened and remember it well - we got a lot of local news coverage. But I appreciated these in the ways they added to that.
And it truly was the last days of the golden age - not one, but two major print magazines sending someone to cover a big but niche story in a small town.
God those were the days. I wasn’t super busy at work so I just shredded 10k word magazine stories like they were nothing. Actually ended up meeting 1 or 2 of my writer heroes from this era too.
These articles are two that have stuck with me for years. They capture this sense of dread and foreboding in ways I’ve rarely experienced. Absolutely worth reading.
Thank you so much for linking this! I think both pieces compliment each other - the GQ article does a bit more background digging/story setting than the Esquire one, which I think focuses more on the events of that night (especially from the POV of the response team, my god.
"The other animals, even the lions, went down when they were shot; the tigers went up. Bullets turned them into birds. They flew."
A really haunting article, and something I'll come back again and again. Appreciate the link a lot! This was the first I've heard of Zanesville (I was only 13 when it happened) and have spent my entire morning reading up on this
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen is called The Elephant In the Living Room and is about another Terry in Ohio who owned lions. It was released a year or two before the Zanesville incident and is about the exotic pet animal trade. I'm not sure if it's available streaming anywhere.
I'm so glad someone else remembers Fatal Attractions! My best friend and I still reference the episode where that one guy started stripping to pay for his illegally acquired hyena
Str8intothestorm | 3 hours ago
OMG, I think about this all the time.
I actually remember the Chris Jones piece in Esquire being even better. Looking back Esquire Chris Jones piece, this was a great moment for long form journalism.
dirtydirtyjones | 3 hours ago
Someone posted both of these here more than a year ago and I sat and read them both straight through. I think they are both great - both capture different but important parts of the story. I don't live far from where this happened and remember it well - we got a lot of local news coverage. But I appreciated these in the ways they added to that.
And it truly was the last days of the golden age - not one, but two major print magazines sending someone to cover a big but niche story in a small town.
Parametric_Or_Treat | 3 hours ago
God those were the days. I wasn’t super busy at work so I just shredded 10k word magazine stories like they were nothing. Actually ended up meeting 1 or 2 of my writer heroes from this era too.
[OP] Strong-Engineering12 | 2 hours ago
This is exactly me right now hahah. I've spent the entire morning reading up on exotic animals in Ohio and Zanesville
Parametric_Or_Treat | an hour ago
WELCOME to bliss
baethan | an hour ago
Do you think either article is better to read first?
measurementinvar | 3 hours ago
These articles are two that have stuck with me for years. They capture this sense of dread and foreboding in ways I’ve rarely experienced. Absolutely worth reading.
[OP] Strong-Engineering12 | 2 hours ago
Thank you so much for linking this! I think both pieces compliment each other - the GQ article does a bit more background digging/story setting than the Esquire one, which I think focuses more on the events of that night (especially from the POV of the response team, my god.
"The other animals, even the lions, went down when they were shot; the tigers went up. Bullets turned them into birds. They flew."
A really haunting article, and something I'll come back again and again. Appreciate the link a lot! This was the first I've heard of Zanesville (I was only 13 when it happened) and have spent my entire morning reading up on this
Similar_Technician79 | 3 hours ago
I think about this article at least 2 times a year and spend forever trying to find it so thank you for posting
MaroonFahrenheit | 3 hours ago
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen is called The Elephant In the Living Room and is about another Terry in Ohio who owned lions. It was released a year or two before the Zanesville incident and is about the exotic pet animal trade. I'm not sure if it's available streaming anywhere.
[OP] Strong-Engineering12 | 2 hours ago
Found it streaming on Prime! Thank you!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTPN3R9Y?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback
II-RadioByeBye | 3 hours ago
I couldn’t finish this. Those poor animals.
the-honey-eater | 2 hours ago
I'm so glad someone else remembers Fatal Attractions! My best friend and I still reference the episode where that one guy started stripping to pay for his illegally acquired hyena