Only six exotic animals survived the massacre in Ohio last week after sheriff deputies gunned down 49 creatures that were released by their owner before he killed himself, and now RadarOnline.com has learned that his estranged wife is fighting to get them back.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, on October 18 Terry Thompson of Zanesville opened the cages and gates of the animals -- including bears, cheetahs, wolves, lions, camels, giraffes and a white Siberian tiger -- prior to giving himself a fatal, self-inflicted gun shot wound.

The only animals to escape the mass killings were three jaguars, a Grizzly bear and two Macaques (primates), which had been taken to nearby Columbus Zoo after the incident, are now in the midst of a bitter custody battle as Marian Thompson tried to retrieve them at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, much to the disapproval of both zoo officials and the Zanesville mayor.

In light of this week's massacre of up to 50 exotic animals after their owner released them and then killed himself, Ohio's governor plans to sign an executive order to push for tighter regulations to avoid it ever happening again, RadarOnline.com has learned.

"Fortunately, today, I'm able to sign an executive order that will have teeth, that is founded in the law, and gives power to people," Governor John Kasich said in a news conference on Friday.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Terry Thompson of Zanesville, Ohio, opened the cages and gates of the animals -- including bears, cheetahs, wolves, lions, camels, giraffes and a white Siberian tiger -- prior to giving himself a fatal, self-inflicted gun shot wound.

As news breaks that the widow of the man who released his 56 wild animals and then turned a gun on himself wants to get the remaining animals back, new video has emerged showing the close relationship he had with his exotic pets, and you can watch it here on  RadarOnline.com.

In the touching footage that was filmed two years ago, first broadcast by ABCNews, owner Terry Thompson, of Zanesville, Ohio, can be seen trading kisses with a huge bear, telling him: "You silly thing, you," as if the giant was a lap dog.

It is clear how comfortable the 62-year-old was with his animals as Thompson plays with potentially-dangerous creatures. "He'll scare the average guy," he laughs as a baby bear gnaws gently at his hand. "It's called suckling."

The mass execution of 48 exotic animals on Tuesday evening has caused outcry from animal lovers across the country and now the mayor of Zanesville, Ohio, is getting hate mail wrongly blaming him for the killings, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.

"I’ve had a lot of people calling and complaining, and some really nasty e-mails," Mayor Howard ‘Butch’ Zwelling told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Terry Thompson opened the cages and gates of the 56 exotic animals that he kept on his ranch -- including bears, cheetahs, wolves, lions, camels, giraffes and a white Siberian tiger -- prior to giving himself a fatal, self-inflicted gun shot wound.

An autopsy revealed that within a minute of his death he was bitten on the head by a large cat, most likely a Bengal tiger.

The exotic animals who were released by their owner on Tuesday evening before he killed himself have been shot in a shocking massacre and RadarOnline.com has exclusive photos of the slaughter.

Bodies of the the endangered species including tigers, bears and wolves can be seen lining the side of the road near the ranch in Zanesville, Ohio, where owner Terry Thompson set them free.

The mass killing was reportedly carried out by Sheriff deputies who were called in after being alerted that a bear and a lion were roaming free.

PHOTOS: Shocking Slaughter Of The Released Exotic Animals In Ohio

The one animal still missing after a man released dozens of wild creatures in Zanesville, Ohio, before committing suicide, is believed to be dead.

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said the missing monkey is thought to have been eaten by one of the escaped big cats; the search has now been called off.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, sheriff's deputies shot and killed 49 wild animals -- including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions -- after Terry Thompson, the owner of an exotic-animal park, opened their cages late Tuesday and then shot himself to death.

The owner of a wild-animal preserve -- that housed as many as 48 wild and exotic animals -- opened the pens and cages of his menagerie before killing himself, authorities in Zanesville, Ohio said during a news conference Wednesday morning.

The property owner, Terry Thompson, opened the cages and gates of the animals -- including bears, cheetahs, wolves, lions, camels, giraffes and a white Siberian tiger -- prior to giving himself a fatal, self-inflicted wound, police said, adding they were waiting on autopsy results.

Three animals are unaccounted for -- a lion, a bear and a monkey -- police said in a preliminary estimate. Authorities shot and killed about 30 of the animals Tuesday, and were under orders to shoot to kill during overnight efforts to round up the animals.

The owner of the 48 wild animals, who reportedly released them from their cages and menageries before killing himself, was well-known by many in the town, and RadarOnline.com has new insight into Terry Thompson, the man behind the great escape.

"He was an unusual fella," Zanesville, Ohio Mayor Howard ‘Butch’ Zwelling told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview. "I thought he had a few exotic animals but I was astonished to find out he had 48.

"I never considered him a menace, but if I'd known that he had that many then I might have thought he was," Zwelling revealed to RadarOnline.com.

Locals living near the Zanesville, Ohio ranch where 48 wild animals were set free on Tuesday evening before their owner killed himself have known for years that Terry Thompson owned a home-made zoo, but were shocked to find the exotic creatures loose on their own land, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.

Neighbors Delores Kopchak and her son Sam live on the next property over from Thompson, who opened the cages and gates of the animals -- including bears, cheetahs, wolves, lions, camels, giraffes and a white Siberian tiger -- prior to giving himself a fatal, self-inflicted gun shot wound, as RadarOnline.com previously reported.

"My son saw the lion and the bear first," Delores told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview, explaining that Sam had gone to put the family's new horse in the barn in the early evening when he noticed that the animal was distraught and rustling.