Authorities Halt Man’s Plans to Kill Pets Before Rapture

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On Friday night, officials seized one cat and two birds from a Sonoma County man who was attempting to euthanize them prior to Saturday’s predicted “Rapture.”

“I plan to put my babies to sleep when the earthquake hits Denver,” said Tinker who thought a tremendous quake would indicate the beginning of the end. “I don’t want them to suffer.” Tinker went on to say he expected the earthquake to hit around 5pm and was holding a yard sale all day Friday to spread the word.

“On that day, there will be two billion plus people in the world dead, because nobody’s going to bury them,” said Tinker. “If my animals are going to be killed by the flood, I mean by the earthquake or the earth wave that’s going to come around the world, why would I keep them alive and allow them to be hurt?”

The staff at a local veterinary clinic said they twice denied his requests for euthanization drugs. As word spread about Tinker’s intentions, the authorities were finally contacted.

Animal rescue workers convinced Tinker into surrendering his cat, Nero, but were forced to return with local police to obtain custody of the two birds. One bird, a cockatoo named Ola, had even been taught to say “I love you” by Tinker himself.

“Based on some of the comments that Mr. Tinker made, I wanted to insure the safety of the pets,” said Amy Cooper, director of Sonoma County Animal Care and Control. “I think we’ll let tomorrow pass,” Cooper said. “The shelter is closed on Sundays and Mondays, but we’ll also work with Mr. Tinker and if on Sunday or Monday he feels like he’d like to have his pets back, staff can be in contact with me and we’ll make that happen.”

15 thoughts on “Authorities Halt Man’s Plans to Kill Pets Before Rapture”

  1. Just curious… why would they give him back his pets??? If the end of the world was coming, i would not try and euthanize my animals… obviously he is a few fries short of a happy meal upstairs…

  2. GOD BLESS you Amy Cooper~! You all did the right thing and it’s so good to hear for once~! This man is sadly misguided to say the least. Wonder what he thinks today since the world didn’t come to an end?????????? I just pray his pets are safe, loved and okay~!

  3. Very true. This man wasn’t mentally unstable, but truly believed the world was going to end. He really didn’t want his pets to suffer. Thankfully, the cat and birds were saved before the supposed Rapture was supposed to happen.

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