November 26, 2011 Cave Junction, OR A teenager allowed to handle a tiger and leopard during a photo shoot was bitten by the leopard, according to a USDA complaint. Immediately after, a leopard was left loose and unattended inside an admission/gift shop building, whereupon two adults and toddler entered and one adult and the child were injured. Big Cats
November 17, 2011 Platte City, MO A pet wallaby who escaped and was found wandering the neighborhood was caught and taken to the Kansas City Zoo. Although his guardian wanted him back, the Platte City Board of Altderman voted to keep the city’s exotic animal restrictions in place due to public safety repucussions. A new home will have to be found for Noah, the wallaby. Other
November 9, 2011 Omaha, NE A 30-year old man was arrested after authorities found an alligator, a rat snake, and 33 tortoises and turtles in filthy conditions along with an elaborate marjijuana-growing operation in his home. The man was booked on suspicion of manufacturing marijuana and cited on suspicion of harboring a nondomestic animal and numerous counts of animal cruelty. Reptiles
November 8, 2011 Seattle, WA A 12-year old female lion named Kalisa got out of her den at the Woodland Park Zoo and was roaming the hallway of a service building before being tranquilized and returned to her enclosure. Big Cats
November 7, 2011 Dallas, TX A spider monkey escaped his enclosure. Staff members later captured the primate and returned him to his enclosure. Human error appears to be he reason for the escape. A chimpanzee escaped from his enclosure 2 weeks prior at this zoo. Primates
November 1, 2011 Quincy, IL A black bear cub, a monkey and a 3-pound fox were confiscated by officials from a man keeping them as pets due to lack of proper permits. Officials are trying to locate sanctuaries that could take them in. BearsPrimatesOther
October 30, 2011 Springfield Township, NJ A fast moving fire left a giraffe, birds and dogs dead at the Animal Kingdom Zoo. This was the third fire on the property in a year. Other
October 30, 2011 Brookfield, IL A baby bottlenose dolphin died minutes after birth at the Brookfield Zoo. Cause of death has not been determined. Marine
October 27, 2011 Miami-Dade County, FL Authorities in Florida shot and killed a 16-foot long python after it swallowed an entire 76-pound adult deer. The python had a girth of 44 inches with the deer in its stomach. Burmese pythons have been breeding in the Everglades over the past several years after they escaped from owners, or the owners dumped them. Reptiles
October 27, 2011 Canton, NC A sewer department employee found a 7-foot python in a sewer pump station. Haywood County Animal Services was called, who then turned the snake over to a Cherokee reptile dealer, Green Desert Reptiles. It was speculated that the snake was a former pet. Reptiles