April 14, 2012 Corpus Christi, TX The Texas State Aquarium’s bottlenose dolphin, DJ, died unexpectedly. A necropsy is scheduled to figure out the cause of his death. Marine
April 10, 2012 St. Louis, Kennett, MO Kennet authorities are looking for alligators that were sold as babies by a Colorado man out of a trailer 14 months ago. So far, they have recovered 2 that were being kept as pets often in the backyard, and one that nearly snapped off its owner’s hand. Kennet has laws governing exotic pets, including a ban on alligators. Reptiles
April 10, 2012 Rolla, MO A 12-year old girl visiting friends was bitten by a vervet monkey being kept to demonstrate to kids why monkeys make bad pets at Cub Creek Science Camp, a science and summer camp for kids. Primates
April 9, 2012 Des Moines, IA An American alligator was confiscated froma Des Moines home this week after authorities found it in the same house as an infant and a dog. Colby Ryan Karaidos was cited for possessing the alligator. A license is required to keep an alligator in Iowa. Reptiles
April 7, 2012 Land Between the Lakes, TN A 10-foot albino python was found. It is believed the snake was abandoned by an owner who no longer wanted to keep it. Reptiles
April 5, 2012 Pasco County, FL A pet monkey jumpted out of his owner’s car at a gas station and escaped into nearby woods. Officers that were flagged down were not able to locate it. The monkey’s species was unverified. Primates
April 4, 2012 Providence, RI A 2-3 feet long alligator was spotted near a river in Providence. It is believed that the alligator is a discarded former pet. Officials have decided not to capture it for the time being. Reptiles
April 4, 2012 Topeka, KS A zebra was spotted along an interstate. The zebra had escaped from a rancher, who later came to retrieve it. Other
April 4, 2012 Sonoma County, CA An animal handler working for Safari West was gored by a Cape buffalo when she went to retrieve the animal from a neighboring field. Some Black Angus cattle broke through a gate into the buffalo enclosure, and when they wandered back, one of the Cape buffalo followed. The handler is said to be recovering. Other
March 31, 2012 Carlsbad, NM Animal control officers were called to report that an 8-9 foot long boa escaped it aquarium over the weekend. The snake has not been located. Reptiles