Search Exotic Incidents Database

A Utah man has been ordered by police to get rid of all but one of his 29 exotic boa contrictors due to not having an exotic pet permit. City ordinance allows one snake per person unless an exotic permit is obtained. Police issued the man a ticket for failing to have a license and gave him seven days to relocate the snakes.

A tiger briefly escaped in the backstage area during a circus performance. No one was hurt and the tiger was corralled after an encounter with a woman in a bathroom.

Several snakes were let loose onto a Torrance Little League field. While none of the snakes were poisonous, they were all constrictors that could endanger small pets. Not all the snakes were able to be rounded up. Police believe someone had hand-raised them for several years before dumping them.

A 5-foot long boa constrictor was found in the engine compartment of a Super Shuttle at the Tampa International Airport. The snake was caught and will be adopted by a Tampa Fire Rescue officer that rescued it from the car. Authorities believe the snake is a former pet.

A man charged in the knifepoint theft of four snakes from a Waco pet store was indicted and charged with aggravated robbery.

A 58-year old man cut the locks on the animal cages, including a mountain lion and alligators, at Everglades Wonder Gardens. A worker was able to contain most of the animals before anything happened. The same worker was able to tackle the man who cut the locks and held him until authorities arrived. One deer did escape and was killed by a motorist.

An illegal hybrid diamond back rattlesnake was seized from an apartment in Olympia. The owner may face a civil fine.

A 4-and-a-half-foot red-tail boa constrictor was found curled up on a heating vent in a vacated apartment. The snake was taken to a sanctuary.

According to a citation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, zookeepers failed to notice or seek veterinary care for a tiger (Maverick) with clear medical issues. Maverick had a severe limp on his right foreleg,
walked with a crah-like posture, and would stumble and fall onto his shoulder when walking. The USDA inspectors reported that he seemed to be in pain, as evidenced
by his growling and swatting at his cage mate when that animal approached.

According to a citation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, zookeepers failed to notice that a cougar named Baby was dead in her enclosure until the inspector observed and pointed out that Baby was coated
in snow and that her body was rigid.