Ohio Cops Kill Escaped Animals; Two Still on the Loose (PHOTOS)

Muskingum County, Ohio, Sheriff Matt Lutz and Columbus Zoo director emeritus Jack Hanna spoke at a press conference in Zanesville Wednesday and said the missing bear and mountain lion that escaped Tuesday have been put down, leaving only two animals still unaccounted for: a monkey and a wolf.

On Tuesday, 56 exotic animals, including lions, tigers, bears, giraffes and wolves, were freed from their captivity at a rural residence outside Zanesville. Police say the animals' owner, 62-year-old Terry Thompson, let them out of their cages before he killed himself. Thompson had assembled the exotic collection, creature by creature, with his wife, largely out of their love of wild animals.

The creatures were eventually hunted down and killed by Muskingum County sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officials — at first with handguns, and later with assault rifles — as the animals wandered on the property or ventured out of nearby woods.

The incident has drawn attention to the private possession of exotic animals.

Check out some photos of the event.