louis with breaking news from zanesville, ohio. and now we know what it is like to wake up in the morning have cheetahs and lions and apes all over. a news conference is going on. let's listen. >> they have to go home and explain to their families what they did last night. we hope this never happens again in any state what these guys had to do, it is a tragedy for the animal world and could have been bigger tragedy for the human world. that is what we tried to avoid. >> thank you, jack. >> can't tell you how much help that jack has been here during this whole deal, also, the people from our wild preserve and the zoo, the experience they have i believe at one point they said over 100 years and over 100 years of experience in dealing with animals and that is far more than what we have, so, it has been great to have them here. i am prepare -- i have prepared a statement, things i have been thinking about and we will take some questions afterwards. first of all, at this point, still, i have no new information on the death of mr. thomps

we begin tonight with a strange and sad story out of zanesville, ohio. it started with a local man known as something of an eccentric and a criminal who had served time in prison. he kept a wild animal preserve on his property. big exotic animals, the kind we see in zoos, until last night when he released the animals and took his own life. police responding in the dark to protect the families in the area had no choice but to draw their weapons and bring down the animals. those still on the loose today were tranquilized, taken away. the 48 dead animals include 18 endangered bengal tigers and there are only about 2,500 in the world. tonight in zanesville, it's mostly the scene of a terrible waste and a rekindled debate over private rights versus animal welfare. we have two reports tonight beginning at the scene with nbc's john yang. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. it was a tense and terrifying night. 50 exotic animals roaming the hillsides. not only 18 bengal tigers, but 17 lions. the sheriff said they were big, mature and aggressive. sheri

abc's david kerley reports now from zanesville. >> reporter: it was a stressful day here in zanesvilleindoors. not knowing whether it was safe to come out or not. this sign perfectly captured the fear that gripped this small ohio town. exotic animals, wild animals on the loose. what may be the biggest release of dangerous carnivores in u.s. history. the frantic 911 calls. >> yeah, there is a lion on mount perry road. >> i am pretty sure. and i just saw a wolf. >> i think i just seen one. looks like a jaguar or wolf or something. >> reporter: deputies with shoot to kill orders used pistols and rifles to take down lions, tigers, bears, and wolves before the sun went down. and with day light. >> still, still not a completely secured area. there was still concern, there was still wild animals on the loose. even when they found one, a tiger and tried to tranquilize it became aggressive, it too had to be put down. >> we had animals outside that fenced area along the road that were trying to get loose. i had deputies that had to shoot animals with their side arms at close range. >> reporter:

. >> it's like noah's ark, like wrecking right here in zanesville, ohio. >> pelley: it got hot at the republican debate, romney, perry, and immigration. wyatt andrews sorts out the facts. protests against government austerity in greece turn into a riot. and from the battlefield to the ball field, every player on this team is a hero. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. it was a jungle out there. lions and tigers, monkez and bears, wolves and baboons, all kinds of wild animals, dozenses of them on the loose in normally quiet zanesville, ohio, once known as the pottery capital of the world and home to 25,000 people. one of those people had kept these animals on his farm, and last night, the police say, for reasons we may never know, he set the animals free and then took his own life. then it got very dangerous, very fast. who was this 62-year-old man? we asked cynthia bowers in zanesville to find out. cynthia. >> reporter: good evening, scott. it this man, terry thompson, who opened this exotic animal farm had had a numbe

kinds of wild animals, dozenses of them on the loose in normally quiet zanesville, ohio, once known as the pottery capital of the world and home to 25,000 people. one of those people had kept these animals on his farm, and last night, the police say, for reasons we may never know, he set the animals free and then took his own life. then it got very dangerous, very fast. who was this 62-year-old man? we asked cynthia bowers in zanesville to find out. cynthia. >> reporter: good evening, scott. 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 tige

. >> reporter: who would have thought in zanesville, ohio, residents would see lions, tigers, and this bear, caught in a cell phone, wandering in the woods after escaping from a nearby property, along with dozens of others. >> 911. >> yeah, there's a lion on mt. perry road. >> i just saw a wolf. >> i think i just seen one. looked like a jaguar or a wolf or something. >> reporter: it was around 5:00 last night and the sheriff's department was launched on what became an unlikely big game hunt. >> i had to run through a field, it was in a hay field. >> reporter: deputy sheriff jonathan merry was one of the first to respond. >> unfortunately had to fire on the wolf. >> reporter: who, after killing a wolf, stared down a black bear. >> the bear then did turn in my direction and ran directly towards me. i fortunately was able to draw my duty pistol, fired one shot, kill is the animal instantly. >> reporter: then a lion crawled under a fence and started heading for a neighbor. the deputy put it down, too. it was just the beginning. the images are painful, disturbing. some of the most powerful,

>> this happened about two miles outside of zanesville. so sheriff matt lutz is in charge of the whole operation. i have had several calls from people who are concerned that that they are shooting these animals and it's my understanding that the columbus zoo is on hand with tranquilizing materials. so, whatever possible, they're going to tranquilize the animals and save their lives. but i don't have a complete update because sheriff is out in the field and is preoccupied at the time. i understand he's going to have a press conference at 10:00 and update everybody. meanwhile, it's several of the schools in the area are closed. people are being told to stay inside. safety of the people is number one on the sheriff's mind. the people in zanesville, we're asking them to be careful. it's business as usual. everybody is going to work and we're telling people to look around and be cognizant of what's around them and watch out for wild animals and, so, we're being cautious about it. >> and mr. mayor, let me ask you, too, do you have any idea what

the day following this inconceivable story and the animal scouts who had to track wild prey in zanesville, ohio. >> reporter: this sign perfectly captured the fear that gripped this small ohio town today -- exotic animals, wild animals on the loose. what may be the biggest release of dangerous carnivores in u.s. history. the frantic 911 calls. >> 911. >> yeah, there is a lion on mt. perry road and gratiot. >> i am pretty sure i just saw a wolf. >> i think i just seen one. looks like a jaguar or wolf or something. >> reporter: deputies with shoot to kill orders used their pistols to take down lions, tigers, bears and wolves before the sun went down. and with daylight -- >> it is still, still, not a completely secured area. >> reporter: there were still

tonight in zanesville, it's mostly the scene of a terrible waste and a rekindled debate over private rights versus animal welfare. we have two reports tonight beginning at the scene with nbc's john yang. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. it was a tense and terrifying night. 50 exotic animals roaming the hillsides. not only 18 bengal tigers, but 17 lions. the sheriff said they were big, mature and aggressive. sheriff's deputies pursued them with assault weapons. their orders were simple -- shoot to kill. by the time the sun came up in zanesville, most of the animals that had escaped from terry thompson's farm were gone. >> one wolf, six black bears, two grizzly bears, nine male lions, eight lionesses, one baboon, three mountain lions and 18 tigers. >> reporter: it had been a nerve wracking night as local newscasters warned residents. >> stay inside. there might be a lion, tiger or grizzly roaming in your neighborhood. >> reporter: thompson, the owner of a 73-acre exotic animal farm had apparently set most of his animals free and then took his own life. fred polk saw many

it is like noah's ark wrecking here in zanesville, ohio.all of ak crashes and, sudden, they are out there. >> it has prompted an outcry from campaigners who said that ohio's loss -- laws are too lax. schools are closed and residents are encouraged to stay indoors as officials continue to haunt the last of these -- hunt the last of the animals. >> archaeologists say they have uncovered one of the most important biking burial sites found in britain -- viking boat burial sites found in britain, thought to be more than 1000 years old. >> they are the weapons of a viking warrior, knife, axe, sword, encased in centuries of mud and rust. x-rays reveal more details of the items beneath, including a bronze ring pin. >> this may have held the shroud that he was buried in together. it was connected to his body. it also connects the biking -- viking boat burial out to the irish sea. >> the grave was discovered here on the remote ardnamurchan peninsula. it was unearthed during a recent archaeological dig. those involved described it as an incredible dis

danielle nottingham, cbs news, zanesville, ohio. >> animal rights group have renewed their calls for buying and selling and owning exotic animals. ohio has some of the weakest laws in the nation. according to one group, 28 states ban ownership of the most dangerous animals, big cats and bears as pets. 15 others require a license. >> it may be a wonderful thing for an individual to have them as a pet, but it's a miserable life for an individual animal. it's not who it's supposed to be. >> now some animal rights sickened. it is the deadliest u.s. outbreak of foodborne illness in more than 25 years. >>> now to the hunt for baby lisa. police and fbi agents have been searching the missing baby family's home. no word on what, if anything, has been found in the home of jeremy irwin and debra bradley. the house had been searched before and the fbi says yesterday's search was not triggered by any tip. the couple reported their daughter lisa irwin missing on october 4th. debra bradley admits she was drinking the night her daughter vanished. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton is in afghanis

dozen of animals, including lions, tigers, bears and wolves escaped from a wildlife preserve in zanesville, late yesterday. area residents have been warned to stay indoors and at least four school districts have canceled classes. >> wild animals. wild animals that you would see on tv in africa. right now, we are shooting to kill. >> deputies equipped with night vision and armed with assault rifles hunted the animals through the night. at last word, more than half had been killed but there could be a dozen or more still on the loose. staffers from the columbus zoo are also on the scene hoping to tranquilize and capture the animals without killing them. >> there were grizzly bears and black bears there and there were cheetahs and there were lions and there were tigers. >> reporter: the animals at the muskingum farm were left open. the fences unsecured. the farm's owner, terry thompson, was found dead inside when authorities came to check on reports of animals roaming free. police did not comment how he died but did say several aggressive animals were nearby. >> from being here in the past, m

. >> reporter: thompson had 18 tigers and 17 lions in zanesville.ne of the largest in the country has three tigers and four lions. each one costs about $17,000 a year to care for. this is an example of the kind of care big cats get at the zoo. it's a cold, rainy day in ohio and these two have the right idea. they are relaxing comfortably in a heated cave. but ohio has some of the weakest regulations for privately owned exotic pets in the country. and since 2003 the humane society has documented 22 incidents involving these animals. everything from pet escapes to attacks on humans. >> ohio has an enormous number of incidents relative to states that had strong policies to forbid keeping dangerous wild animals as pets. >> reporter: tougher regulations may be a possible solution. but it took a painful lesson in za zanesville to get people talking. stephanie gosk, nbc news, columbus. >>> up next here tonight, new information for women trying to decide whether radiation for treatment for breast cancer is worth it. >>> also ahead here tonight, news about t

it is like noah's ark wrecking here in zanesville, ohio.all of ak crashes and, sudden, they are out there. >> it has prompted an outcry from campaigners who said that ohio's loss -- laws are too lax. schools are closed and residents are encouraged to stay indoors as officials continue to haunt the last of these -- hunt the last of the animals. >> archaeologists say they have uncovered one of the most important biking burial sites found in britain -- viking boat burial sites found in britain, thought to be more than 1000 years old. >> they are the weapons of a viking warrior, knife, axe, sword, encased in centuries of mud and rust. x-rays reveal more details of the items beneath, including a bronze ring pin. >> this may have held the shroud that he was buried in together. it was connected to his body. it also connects the biking -- viking boat burial out to the irish sea. >> the grave was discovered here on the remote ardnamurchan peninsula. it was unearthed during a recent archaeological dig. those involved described it as an incredible dis

danielle nottingham, cbs news, zanesville, ohio. >> animal rights group have renewed their calls for tougher laws on buying and selling and owning exotic animals. ohio has some of the weakest laws in the nation. according to one group, 28 states ban ownership of the most dangerous animals, big cats and bears as pets. 15 others require a license. >> it may be a wonderful thing for an individual to have them as a pet, but it's a miserable life for an individual animal. it's not who it's supposed to be. >> now some animal rights advocates are criticizing police for killing so many animals, but authorities say they had no choice. >>> federal health officials believe they have pinpointed the origin of that deadly listeria outbreak from contaminated cantaloupe. listeria bacteria was found on dirty and corroded equipment at the jensen farms packing facility in colorado. at least 25 people have died and more than 100 others sickened. it is the deadliest u.s. outbreak of foodborne illness in more than 25 years. >>> now to the hunt for baby lisa. police and fbi agents have been searching the m

. >> 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

abc's david kerley reports now from zanesville. >> reporter: it was a stressful day here in zanesvilleest at all. with more on this, here's abc's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: this woman's pap smear turned out to be anything other than what she expected. the young mother learning she had cervical cancer. >> for me it really meant, you know, saving my life. >> reporter: now the government panel is recommending women, between ages 21 and 65, only get a pap smear every three years. startling to women like this one. >> three years is too long. things can progress and grow in a woman's body. like it did mine within a year. >> reporter: a pap smear is simple enough. a doctor examines cells scraped from a woman's cervix under a microscope. the task force maintains it could do more harm than good, arguing cervical cancer is usually slow moving and can take almost ten years to become dangerous. they say the more tests you do the more likely you are to be faced with a false positive leading patients to unnecessary biopsies and complications like infections that can lead to problems with pregnancy

a major loss of human life in zanesville, ohio yesterday. >> no choice but to shoot animal activist.he killing of 48 exotic animals after their owner lets them loose. >>> an arrest is made in the murder of a 12-year-old gaithersburg girl. i'm monique griego. >>> maryland's new congressional district sets the stage for a battle over republican-held seat in the u.s. house of representatives. i'm pat warren, coming up on wjz eyewitness news. the effects of marylandy district -- maryland redistricting. >>> fall temperatures move in. your complete first warning weather forecast comes up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> police make an arrest into the 12-year-old gaithersburg girl. wjz's ponique grieg -- monique griego has the latest. >> reporter: investigators believe 42-year-old david hang stabbed his stepdaughter to death. and they say dna linked him to the case. >> it's a crime that linked them. jessica nguyen was found stabbed to death inside the town home on raven avenue. >> we were upset. >> neighbors like scott sharpnack waited months for an arrest. then this week, a break. montgomery county p

joining me on the phone is jack hanna from zanesville. about this, what was your first instinct? >> well, i get t17 voice mails n my phone and thought what is the world is happening here? i heard the story and couldn't believe what was happening. i got here at 5:00 in the morning and then of course the reality started setting in, what happened here with 30 something animals obviously losing their lives. that's a tragedy. but the first and foremost thing is that no person lost their life. that's what came out of this whole thing is. right now i am working on a law to stop people like this that have animals like this in improper settings to stop that from happening. >> jack, i know you've been going solid for a number of hours here. if you can, just back up. how exactly have you been assisting with these animals? how have you been helping sheriff lutz? >> well, our veterinarians were here all day and all last night. today we took three or four leopards, a monkey and grizzly up to the columbus zoo where they will house them until we know wha

. >> pelley: in zanesville, ohio, the place said today all those exotic animals released from a farm have now been accounted for. but questions remain about the owner of that farm. cynthia bowers went looking for answers today. >> this is the compound. >> reporter: law enforcement today revealed just how far the animals had roamed from their cages and how dangerous the situations had become. sheriffs found and shot tigers and bears in at least three locations around the farm. here close to a neighbor and in this area just yards from interstate 70. a blacker be was shot near a local road. before he shot himself, owner terry thompson released 50 of 56 animals and damaged their cages to make it harder to pin them back up. sheriff matt lutes also said thompson's body had been mauled. >> mr. thompson did have a bite wound to his head area. >> reporter: thompson did not leave a suicide note explaining why he took his life, but there are clues. these tax records indicate that last year he owed the federal government more than $67,000-- a lien had been placed on his property and his wife had

it has been a terrifying 24 hours for the residents of zanesville, ohio.irsthand what deregulation is all about. >> these are some of the animals killed overnight in what can only be described as an open season slaughter of wild, and dangerous animals. >> here's the story. the animals were owned by terry thompson. thompson kept them on his 73-acre farm, despite his criminal record and history of animal neglect. authorities believe that thompson freed the animals from their cages and then killed himself. schools were closed and residents told to stay indoors as police searched and scores of animals, described as mature and aggressive, they were forced to be kill -- forced to kill 50 of them including 18 bengal tires, six black bears, six grizzly bears, two wofls and one baboon. six animals have been captured. at this hour all animals have been accounted for including a diseased monkey thought to be on the loose. how did a guy with a criminal record keep an entire zoo in his backyard? because the law permits it. simple as that. ohio doesn't regulate private

. >>> we begin with the story out of zanesville, ohio. the hunt for the wild animals set free on tuesday is now over. most of the animals were shot and killed by police. this morning, animal lovers are asking why? cbs news cynthia bowers is in zanesville with the latest. >> reporter: you're right, the death toll was staggering and inexplicable. one man and 50 exotic animals. folks who knew the 62-year-old terry thompson said he was a nice guy but marched to the beat of a different drummer. why no one knows why he decided to let loose 50 his beloved exotic pets and committing suicide and condemning them to death well j joel shot this video shows one of the bears that was part of thompson's exotic animal farm. >> a bear comes up to the fence and then just pops right through the fence. >> reporter: neighbor sam cokecheck was the first witness to the danger saw wild animals eye is his horse. his wife made the first 911 call. facing dozens of dangerous animals as night fell, muskingum county sheriff matt lutz made the tough call. shoot to kill

we would have had major loss of human life at zanesville, especially when the sun came up.i look at these pictures, i don't believe it's happened. but it had to happen or we'd have had a mess on our hands beyond compression. >> six of the animals were able to be saved and transferred to the zoo. how are they doing this morning? >> they're doing very well. we have footage of the animals taken early, about 4:00 a.m. this morning. they're eating well, doing well. by the way, the governor, we met last night. the governor is passing laws immediately. there will be no more animal auctions in the state of ohio with exotic animals. within six months we'll go out to people like we saw last night and knock on their door and if e.r. not up to standards, which are going to be great standards because i'm going to have something to do with setting those standards, those animals will be taken immediately to the wilds where we'll spend several hundreds of thousands of dollars building a repository for these animals to have a home. >> terry thompson who had these animals had a record of ani

>> all right, john yang in zanesville, ohio, john, thanks as always.the host of "ocean mysteries" and the author of "100 heartbeats." good morning to you. how dangerous a situation to you think this really is. >> matt, this could be incredibly dangerous. carnivores ranging from bears to lions and that's why it's so important that this situation needs to be managed immediately. if not for the protection of the public, for the protection for the animals themselves and as you can see, really the worst case scenario has happened here. >> you know what, you're right. public safety is the number one concern but i can't help but think this is just such a tragedy for these animals that did nothing to deserve this. >> incredible tragedy, matt. this brings up the point about private people keeping exotic animals as pets especially powerful creatures like these large cats and bears and wolves. these are animals that in normal situations in states like massachusetts and other parts of the country, there are strict state regulations when it comes to keeping these a

cynthia bowers, cbs news, zanesville ohio. >> pelley: when we traveled here to chicago for tonight's broadcast, we didn't expect to see this: wrecked boats and debris along the lake front. tropical storm force winds churned up the surf overnight and slammed the boats against a break wall. at least 20 were damaged. steve jobs' many successes are well known. but jobs' biographer reveals one of his biggest regrets. that's next. only os-cal ultra has the most calcium and d3 plus 7 bone health nutrients. so you can always be strong with os-cal. food, meet flavor. flavor meet food. introducing swanson flavor boost. concentrated broth in easy to use packets. mix it into skillet dishes, for an instant dose of... hell-o! [ female announcer ] new swanson flavor boost. part of my job is teaching my patients how to take insulin. but i've learned a lot from patients who use flexpen. flexpen comes pre-filled with the insulin i take and i can dial the exact dose of insulin i need. i live my life on the go and need an on-the-go insulin. i don't need to carry a cooler with flexpen. novolog is a fast-

on this thing in zanesville, i'd like to clarify one thing. this wasn't an escape.n unlocked the doors and let them go. it's not -- it's not something that was in violation of any kind of a law. he could have had 10 usda license and it would have still been the same results. this was purposely done. >> thank you very much both for joining us with your perspectives. >> thank you. >>> still "outfront" tonight, president of france, nicolas sarkozy and his wife welcome a bundle of joy. >>> "outfront" for the lisa baby case, the police searched the family home looking for the 11-month-old infant. what did they find? >>> and andy borowitz "outfront" to talk about silvio berlusconi. he made the cut. executor of efficiency. you can spot an amateur from a mile away... while going shoeless and metal-free in seconds. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. now this...will work. [ male announcer ] just like you, business pro. just like you. go nat

it's around zanesville, ohio. exotic animals after the owner of an exotic animal farm died. >> there were grizzly bears and black bears there. there were cheetahs, there were lions and there were tigers. >> possibly a giraffe. >> as i released earlier, there have been giraffes and camels at this place before in the past. these are wild animals. wild animals that you would see on tv in africa. >> i'm less concerned about the camel and more concerned about a very unhappy grizzly bear. these are adults we're told and they have lived in captivity their whole life. they're probably disconcerted and probably very hungry, at least two dozen animals were shot and killed. a few minutes ago we spoke to legendary wildlife expert jack hanna. they called him from nearby columbus zoo to help out. about 30 animals were down and 8 animals on the loose and police were about to go after three big cats. here's our conversation with him. >> people have to understand something, everyone. human life comes first. we're trying our best t

. >>> we're on the front line in zanesville, ohio, 49 exotic animals shot and killed today. why it happened and why it could happen again. >>> then, your advertising could land in front of 2 million people. we can't resist telling you about spirit airlines big idea. >>> and the bottom line on rick perry's flat tax proposal? is it an idea whose time has come or an idea that smells bad? let's go "outfront." >>> hello, everyone. i'm erin burnett. "outfront," taxes, presidential candidate rick perry on the heels of last night's presidential debate, proposing a flat tax. >> scrapping the 3 million words of the current tax code starting over with something simpler. a flat tax. >> a flat tax has one big problem. if you tax everyone at the same rate, people who make less get hit harder and pay more than the current system. the flat tax was popularized by steve forbes during his two presidential runs, but he actually exempted families of four making less than $36,000. bold ideas are something we challenge on this show for a better america. let's see whether the flat tax is bold and s

schools in zanesville are closed. people are hunkering down indoors. around 48 wolves, grizzly bears, lions, cheetahs, other animals were let out of their cages as a wild animal preserve. deputies shot and killed at least two dozen them overnight. >> i had deputies that had to shoot animals with their side arms at close range. that's how volatile this situation was. when we got here, obviously, po public safety way my number one concern bp i gave the order if animals looked like they going out they were going down. we could not have wild animals. >>> also, the man who other thanned the animal preserve, terry thompson, was found dead outside his home. zanesville's mayor tells cnn thompson freed the animals and then shot himself. >>> texas governor rick perry, well, he kind of sported a new aggressive style at last night's cnn debate in las vegas. perry's poll numbers have tumbled after some pretty uninspiring performances in previous debates, this time he repeatedly jabbed his chief rival mitt romney on jobs, health care and illegal immigration, and rom