it this man, terry thompson, who opened this exotic animal farm had had a number of run-ins with the law, many of them animal related. out of the more than 50 exotic animals he kept here, only four had state permits for black bears. this was the headline this morning in central ohio, and this is how jack hanna, director emeritus of the columbus zoo, put it. >> this is not just a nightmare. it's like noah's ark, wrecking right here in zanesville, ohio. >> reporter: the sheriff said the animals kept on a private farm had been set loose. among them-- >> one baboon, three mountain lionlions and 18 tigers. >> reporter: the animals' cages cut open by the owner terry thompson who then apparently committed suicide. he left no note. a vietnam vet whose fascination with animals is said to have begun in 1977 when he gave his wife a lion cub as a gift. many of his animals were purchased through exotic animal auctions. neighbor sam kopchak spotted the animals and made the first 911 call. >> i said we have a major big problems. there are animals out. i said i don't know how many. i know there's a

the animals were freed from their cages by their own terry thompson who then took his own life. police say they had no choice but to take the animals down. >> it's a tragedy for the animal world is what it is, but it could have been a bigger tragedy for the human world. >> reporter: the sheriff's department was criticized for not using tranquilizers when the overnight hunt began, but officials feared the animals hit with darts would escape into the darkness and regain consciousness. >> we could not have animals running loose in this county. >> reporter: authorities won't speculate why the animals owner terry thompson killed himself or why he opened their cages. thompson had several run-ins with the law including animal related complaints. he reached out to another farm a while ago to help him better care for his animals. >> he just must have lost it. that's just the long and short of it. it's horrible to think about. >> reporter: six animals were captured alive and taken to the columbus zoo. danielle nottingham, cbs news, zanesville, ohio. >> animal rights group have renewed the

i'm curious about terry thompson, apparently convicted of animal cruelty six years ago.at to own these animals in this first place? >> that's a good question. one thing he didn't have the usda license. he wasn't a -- he didn't have the usda permit that's usually required. i understand his license was turned in or taken from him in 1999. he spent some time in prison for some kind of gun violation. but he still had all these animals, plus a petting zoo. he didn't have the license so he more-or-less -- he wasn't under the control of anybody. >> adam roberts, how could this happen? how common is this? it does seem there's a real lack of clarity about how many sorts of businesses there are. >> it's a tragedy, one of the big problems. we're all scratching our heads thinking how it can happen. i have to be brutal. the ohio legislature or governor and people who make the laws in the state didn't crack down when they had the opportunity to prevent this from happening in the first place. ohio is one of the worst states in the country both in terms of number of exotic animals escap

i'm curious about terry thompson, apparently was convicted of animal cruelty six years ago.ese animals in this first place? >> that's a good question. one thing, he didn't have the usda license. he wasn't a -- he didn't have the usda permit that's usually required. i understand his license was turned in or taken from him in 1999. he spent some time in prison for some kind of gun violation. but he still had all these animals, plus a petting zoo. he didn't have the license so he more or less -- he wasn't under the control of anybody. >> adam roberts, how could this happen? how common is this? it does seem there's a real lack of clarity about how many sorts of businesses there are. >> it's a tragedy, one of the big problems. we're all scratching our heads thinking how it can happen. i have to be brutal. the ohio legislature or governor and people who make the laws in the state didn't crack down when they had the opportunity to prevent this from happening in the first place. ohio is one of the worst states in the country, both in terms of number of exotic animals escaping or att

. >> reporter: 48 animals were doomed the moment their owner, terry thompson, set them free tuesday night from his farm. as frantic calls to 911 started coming in -- >> there's a lion. >> reporter: deputies knew instantly it was kill or be killed. the animals included wolves, african lions, mountain lions, bears, monkeys, leopards, and what hurt the most for famed zookeeper jack hanna, eight bengal tigers, endangered species, shot dead. >> bengal tigers running around these neighborhoods, you wouldn't have wanted to see what happened. >> reporter: he fully supports the killings. he says there's no way to round up the animals. >> animal rights are going nuts but the sheriffs did the right thing. >> reporter: the farm owner, terry thompson, had plenty of complaints about his animals over the past decade, including animal cruelty. they say after he set them free, he disabled the cages so the cages could not be used again and then he committed suicide. >> i honestly feel like he didn't feel like he needed to live a longer. it's sad. it disheartens me. >> reporter: authorities say they never f

the official were familiar with terri thompson. the sheriff deputies knew exactly where to go.ake a listen. >> 911, what is your emergency? >> that's a lion right out in front of me and was standing there under the street light. >> we just saw the a lion that is missing. >> you saw it on mount prairie road? >> yeah. >> about how far off of 40? >> about half a mile. it was going west. >> it's going west? >> it was heading west in a hurry. yep. >> all right. we'll get somebody out in that area. if you see it again, don't approach it, okay? >> i'm far from there. i was driving. >> reporter: and obviously, anderson, that lion had to be taken down a short time later. the big question now for investigators is why terry thompson, a man by all accounts from everyone i spoke to, loved these animals, why he set them free and opened the cages and then took his own life. >> a short time ago, i spoke with sheriff lutz. mr. lutz, what's the status of the animals? >> right now, we believe we have one animal unaccounted for. that animal could be missing or could have perished in one of these i

everyone in the area very familiar with terry thompson and his reserve of the animals that he had.o sheriff's deputies knew exactly where to go. take a listen. >> 911, what is your emergency? >> there's a lion on mount perry road and brayshaw. >> there's a big horse farm. i just drove by and walked out in front of me and it was standing there under the streetlight. >> s.o., we've got one of those lions that are missing ouflt muskingum county. >> you just saw it on mount perry road? >> yeah. >> okay. how far off of 40? >> about a half a mile. it was going west. >> it was going west? >> it was heading west in a hurry. yep. >> all right. we'll get somebody out in that area. if you see it again, don't approach it, okay? >> i'm far from there. i was driving. >> wildlife -- >> reporter: and obviously, anderson, that lion had to be taken down a short time later. the big question now for investigators is why terry thompson, a man by all accounts from everyone that i've spoken to out here, loved these animals-y he opened up the cages and set them free and then took his own life. anderson? >

and we just couldn't take the chance. >> what do you know about this guy, terry thompson? nd he was well known -- i don't know to you personally or law enforcement in the region who had visited him before. >> yeah, i'm very familiar with terry. i've dealt with him personally before. terry has done local jail time in our jail for animal violations. and we knew of him and his situation. >> so authorities had gone out there and checked the permits and monitored the situation? >> yes. the moderation of this complex, he was not using it for an attraction or took for pay. we had several inspectors to inspect things and nobody could ever order is to hit him down. >> i know it's been a long 24 hours. i appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you. >> well, we frequently talk to jack hanna when the subject is animals in the wild. some people don't understand that taking care of animals in the wild is a totally different experience. jack hanna is director of the columbus zoo and arrived on the scene early this morning to try to help out. i spoke to him earlier tonight. >> so, jack,

. >> reporter: by the time the sun came up in zanesville most that escaped from terry thompson's farm were gone. >> six black bear, two grizzly bear, nine male lion, eight lion esses. and 18 tigers. >> reporter: a nerve-racking night as local broad wases warned residents. >> reporter: thompson, the owner of an animal farm, apparently set most of his animals free then took his own life. fred polk saw many of the animals on his property. >> i seen some mountain lions and african lions and i think three bears. one of the bears charged a deputy and the deputy shot it. >> we don't go to the academy and get trained on how to deal with 300-pound bengal tigers. >> reporter: danielle and her two children live next door. for her it was a terrifying night. >> gunfire was very close to the house. i almost felt at one point it may have been right in the backyard. >> that is a bear. >> reporter: today schools were closed as a precaution amid new questions about the animals' owner. neighbors and others called him eccentric. he was released after a year in prison on gun charges. six of his animals ha

they were deliberately released in a final act of spite by terry thompson, just released from prison for a gun felony. his wife, seen here hiding from cameras, left him a few months ago. thompson then killed himself, leaving his newly-freed lions, tigers and bears to terrorize suburban ohio. >> there's a lion on mt. perry road and gratiot. >> i've just seen a wolf. >> i seen one. looks like a jaguar or wolf or something. >> reporter: conservationists and law enforcement officials blame ohio law. >> in ohio, under current law, it's legal for someone to have a tiger, a lion, a green anaconda, an alligator, a crocodile. it's because ohio is the wild west when it comes to private ownership of exotics. >> reporter: deputies say they had no choice but to gun them down in a brutal suburban safari. one conservationist said it's like noah's ark wrecked in ohio, leaving dozens of animals to be buried on a farm where critics say they never should have been. yunji and rob? >> the case is so bizarre. the farm owner had trouble with authorities in the past. what kind of trouble? and can you tell us

people who knew the 62-year-old terry thompson said he was a nice guy who just marched to the beat of a different drum but who was so despondent over debt and impending divorce he set loose 50 of his beloved pets prior to committing suicide, condemning those animals to almost certain death. joel harris shot this cell phone video that shows just one of the bears that was part of terry thompson's exotic animal farm. >> a wolf comes from the fence that the bears in and comes up to the fence and then just pops right through the fence. >> reporter: the neighbor, sam, was the first wins when he saw wild animals eyeing his horse. his wife made the first 911 call. >> we live next to terry thompson and there's a bear and a lion out. >> a bear and a lion out? >> yeah, right behind us. >> reporter: facing dozens of dangerous animals as night fell, matt lutz made the tough call, shoot to kill. >> public safety was my number one concern. i gave the order on the way here that if animals look like they were going out, they went down. >> what began in 1977 with a pet monkey for thompson's wife turned

. >> reporter: the animals were opened by a man named terry thompson, who was found dead on his property. it is believed he opened the cages releasing 56 and medicals and then killed himself. locals went in lockdown after they were told by sheriff's depend does to stay indoors and keep their children and animals inside. classes were canceled at three local school districts. ultimately, 48 exotic animals were shot and killed by officers. thompson was already known to law enforcement. they'd received numerous complaints since 2004 about animals on his property and thompson was recently released from jail after serving one euro for possessing illegal firearms. animal rights activists say this never should have been allowed to happen. >> they are rying to work on something right now to do catch- up and try to get it taken care of. >> the last escaped animal has now been found apparently inside another animal. it was a monkey that the sheriff thought might still be running free but was found last night. it was discovered inside one of the big cats that was shot and killed. >>> to sports now,

terry thompson served a year for possessing illegal firearms. he and his estranged wife kept the animals in cages on a 73-acre private reserve. friends say they were animal lovers but he, thompson, had been convicted of animal cruelty. officials have not said what might have caused him to kill himself. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton is in kabul, after after this morning for talks with afghan president and other top officials there. she's expected to assure president karzai that the united states remains committed to the reconciliation efforts in the nation. they're also expected to talk about pakistan's relations with afghanistan. clinton's visit come as the nation pursues peace with the taliban after the longest war in u.s. history. >>> tens of thousands of angry greek protesters are jamming the streets of athens this morning. take a look. these are live pictures of the protesters gathered outside the parliament building, all part of a second day of a general strike. protesters are venting their rage over a new tough round of budget-cutt

when their owner, terry thompson, released the animals, he doesn't just release them into the wild, he released them into ohio, into semi-rural suburban columbus, ohio. alongside interstate 70 where reportedly two of the animals lost their lives in traffic. presumably bewildered where did that thing come from traffic. terry thompson not only opened the animals' cages but reportedly cut the cage wire so even if the animals had been able to be brought back to their cages, the cages would no longer hold. he was condemning those animals to die just as absolutely as he was about to take his own life. last night. but how is it that one man on one farm in central ohio could even have 56 exotic animals to begin with? he was a convicted felon who had just been released from federal prison for possessing illegal guns, possessing lots of illegal guns. someone convicted on animal cruelty charges in the past. the reason a guy with that record was allowed to have dozens of exotic animals including giraffes and lions and camels is that terry thompson lived in ohio. ohio is a state that has lax, as in

they were apparently freed in a deliberate act of defiance by terry thompson. he had just been released from prison for a gun felony. his wife left him a students ago. he killed himself with a gunshot, leaving his animals to terrorize suburban ohio. officials blame ohio law, one a day loosest in the country when it comes to exotic pets. >> it is perfectly legal to have a tiger lyon, anaconda, alligators crocodiles. it's because ohio is the wild west when it comes to private ownership of exotics. >> 18 bangle tigers gone and is on the 1400 left in the wild. this is a tragedy. >> one conservationist said it is like noah's ark wrecked in ohio. critics say the animals never should've been there. john hendren reporting. back to you. >> thank you. >>> investigators carried out a search warrant at the home belonging to the parents of the missing missouri baby. authorities will not say what they found during the extensive search. 10-month-old lisa irwin missing since october 4. they have no suspects and no major leagues in the disappearance. >>> a new associated press

. >> terry thompson began his farm in 1977 with a baby lion named simba he bought for his wife. that ended yesterday with a massacre of 50 animals. somewhere near there. a massacre event says -- deputies say they were forced to carry out. when the big game hunt was over all but a handful of the animals were dead. >> the black bears turned in my direction and ran toward me. i was able to draw my pistol and fired one shot killing the animal instantly. >> six others were taken to the zoo. the last fugitive, a monkey, became the last supper for a dead tiger. >> there are only 1400 left in the world. this is beyond a tragedy. >> they were deliberately released in an active spiked by terry thompson treat >> there is a lion. >> conservationists and law enforcement when ohio law. >> under current law, it is legal for some money to have a tiger, a line, and anaconda, an alligator, a crocodile. >> deputies had no choice but to gunman down -- to gun them down. one person said it is like noah's ark wrecked in ohio. >> what a story. >>> later this morning, vincent gray is going to get a look

. >>> new home video shows what life was like for terry thompson. >> they will scare the average guy. >> tuesday, authorities say thompson opened dozens of animal cages, releasing lions tigers, and monkeys into the countryside. he then took his own life. his wife came to the zoo yesterday to visit the survivors, including two cats. thompson said they slept in her bed at night. >>> now to the case of the missing 10-month old in missouri. witnesses are now coming forward and they all say they saw a mysterious man carrying a baby dressed only in a diaper the same night when the baby went missing. scott has the very latest. >> it has been nearly three weeks since the baby disappeared from her parents' home in kansas city. abc news has learned that at least three eyewitnesses say they saw the same thing on october 4. >> 4:00 in the morning, 49 degrees. the baby did not have a coat or nothing. >> he called police after seeing a man in a t-shirt carrying a baby just down the block from the parents' house. >> it was shocking because i cannot imagine anybody outside walking with their baby in

the farm owner, terry thompson, doomed to them all by setting them free just before he shot himself in a suicide. >> mr. thompson did have a bite wound to his head area that the doctor said would be consistent with the bite from a larger-type cat. >> 49 wild animals are now buried here on the farm where they were raised. >> the locals are somewhat sympathetic. >> it is very tragic. they were animal lovers. >> there was nothing starting in that situation. >> outsiders are not nearly as forgiving. but you can buy a tiger, but not common sense. >> everyone is relieved that a nightmare scenario was not any worse. >> you could have a major catastrophe, people killed. >> and for the six remaining animals rounded up at the farm, a second chance at the columbus zoo. >> in the meantime, lawmakers are talking about toughening of laws, for example, not allowing anyone who had been charged with animal cruelty, for example the way terry thompson was, to own exotic animals. >> authorities debating their use of -- some are debating the use of lethal force. you can share your comments on m/wbaltv.co/w

court recordssshow terry thompson anddhis wife were taxes.on tuesday...glary at a ccndy store ii - tennessee.this grainy surveillance video caught the suspect red-handedd.. well pawed... the burgular was knocked a hole in the glass ffont door.. then rummaged through caramel apples and pecannlogs... eaving fur stuck n the candy.the owners arrived to find wrappers strewn across the floor...and the bear still inside the store... police chased it out into the woodss... they say the bear was probably hunting for food beffre hibernation. "you have eached a non-working number." 3 no more fake phooe numbers interested..../ a....new website helps guys ...find the perfect girlfriend... even if she doesn't existwe'll explain aftee theebreak. 3 &p--adblib weather tz-- 3 halloween's almost here - and hollywood is ready to deliver. explains... in the lowdown. 3 so far this month's been light on scary ovies.the only apparentll friggtening thing about "the thing" was its box offiie reveeue!finally you have another chhicc -- "paranormml activity 3".it's time to sit and wa

brand-new video of terry thompson and those exotic animals. now, his wife wants the surviving animals returned, including the monkey who slept in her bed. >>> were they the last to see baby lisa? interviews with two new witnesses who say they saw a baby matching lisa's description outside her parents house. why they say police should expand their search right now. ♪ yeah, yeah >>> and maria carey, like you never heard before. opening up to barbara walters about motherhood, marriage, and why she trusts her husband. >>> i know. start with a little mariah carey in the morning. good morning, everyone. hope you have fun plans for the weekend. we are learning so much more overnight about what really happened after gadhafi was found. new, grainy cell phone video that you see her. his final moments. what he said to soldiers surrounding him. >>> we're going to turn to the latest on the trial of michael jackson's doctor. there was damaging testimony from the star witness for the prosecution. he pinned it straight on conrad murray. also, we're going to s

. >> [ inaudible ] >> did terry thompson leave any indication as to what he was doing and why? >> to my knowledge, we have evaluated the crime scene and we have not found anything like that. no. >> sir, wpxi, pittsburgh. you said that tried tranquilizing effort and what -- >> obviously, as i said before, one of our biggest hurdles here was dealing with the amount of animals, the type of animals, but more importantly, we only had about an hour to an hour and a half of daylight. as jack said, this wasn't a situation where we could just walk in, stay a safe distance. these animals were on the move and showing aggressive behavior. once the nightfall hit, our biggest concern was having the animals roaming. today, when we went back in, we had -- of course, daylight hours. we found a mature, bengal tiger, was laying in some brush. this was going to be, i would say, southeast to the house, approximately 200 yards. this veterinarian had more guts than i did, by far. with a dart gun got very, very close, probably from one side of this tent to the other. we thought we hit it but as we did

terry thompson, age 62.. animals out of their cages. they believe terry set the animals free and then took his own life. that is still developing as well. but i want to turn to the sheriff who is on the phone with me. until ohio, sheriff, you told us a short while ago and that there are only two left and the rest have been caught? >> yes, we believe so. we had compiled a list of the animals basically off of the farm, that number was approximately 48 to 52 from the start of this incident, and from what we have recovered, the inventory that we have done, we feel that we're down to those two animals. >> so this part of the county, are we dealing with wooded landscape? describe it to me. >> it's about 680 square miles and we had the city of zanesville that has probably about 25 to 30,000 population. in the southeast corner of the state, it's very well known for dear hunting. we have some of the biggest deer in the state of ohio. that tells you that this area is very wooded, it's very mountainous, and it's an are

. >> terry thompson, the man who owned this animal refuge killed himself with a self-inflicted wound. they now believe that he is the one who released the animals. they are now turning to investigate what his motive is, why he did this, as they now move into the compound once the animals are taken care of. >> that is quite a story. covering the world this afternoon -- archaeologists say they discovered the first fully intact biking burial site on the british mainland. they believe the site is more than 1000 years old. the viking inside was buried with an ax and a decorated sword. artifacts suggest he was a high ranking viking warrior. still to come, meet a tiny dog with huge determination. how she gets around despite her paralyzed back legs. >> they help them out until the got the transplant. without it, he would not live. >> the new device that could give hope to sick newborns across the country. >> we have seen rates so far, but a new round of rain could come with some thunderstorms. we will be tracking this storm system in the forecast after the break. here's a look out doors right

again, was somebody going after terry thompson? did terry thompson act on his own?wers with and it's clear that the sheriff's department is not ready at all yet to release that information. >> in all the news i've covered in the years. this one definitely ranks up there as one of the weirdest. let's hope they get the animals that are still out there and hopefully do it without killing the rest of the animals. >>> let's head back to carol costello in las vegas. 20 years ago these lax laws for owning these kind of exotic animals have been on the books for years, haven't they, carol? >> 20 years ago i worked at the very station that tino is working for right now and i remember reporting story about lax exotic animal laws. i don't know what laws they have in place now, obviously, but it was a problem then. i'm not surprised to hear this sort of thing has happened in ohio. just really scary and i hope they round up those animals soon. >> safely for everyone, including the animals. >> welcome back to las vegas. the morning after here. one thing is certain after last night