Feels like fiction, wish it were

[barking_iguana]

A private zoo owner released all his (dangerous, large) animals and killed himself. Then sheriff's deputies hunted down the animals they could find and schools are closed for miles around while people hunker down.

It really does seem like the intro to a Vonnegut story or something, maybe from the perspective of one of the lions.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpps/news/national/midwest/sheriff-exotic-animal-farm-owner-killed-self-nt11-tvw_3967837