March 19, 2012 Ashley, PA A Java macaque monkey was on the loose for several hours after police tried to stop a man driving a stolen ATV. The monkey was unleashed and sitting on the rear of the vehicle. The monkey was turned over to the PA Game Commission as it is illegal to own a primate in Pennsylvania. The man was ordered to pay a $100 fine. Primates
March 15, 2012 Pensacola, FL A Pensacola woman’s pet snake went behind the dashboard of her car so she took the car to a mechanic to get it out. They were driving cross-country to Washington State. Reptiles
March 13, 2012 Staten Island, NY A 4-foot snake slithered out of a Staten Island man’s toilet. The California Kingsnake is thought to be somone’s escaped pet and was taken to a Manhattan sanctuary. Reptiles
March 9, 2012 Saco, ME A poisonous, 5-foot viper from Africa was found stretched dead across a rock in a wooded area behind a movie theater. Reptiles
March 5, 2012 Niles, OH A woman took her pet monkey into a pet supply store where it bit a clerk. The monkey is being quarantined by the City Health Department and the clerk that was bitten is undergoing treatment for rabies and other disease as a precaution. Monkeys are not prohibited from being kept as pets in the city. Primates
March 3, 2012 Wichita, KS A tiger cub only a few days old died at the Sedgwick County Zoo of unknown causes. Big Cats
February 29, 2012 Atlanta, GA A newborn golden lion tamarin at Zoo Atlanta died after an accidental fall. It was one of three infants born to 5-year old Robin. Another infant died shortly after birth. Primates
February 28, 2012 Loxahatchee, FL Steve Sipek, a former actor who played Tarzan, has been arrested and had 2 tigers and a black panther removed from his home after they were considered a danger to the public. Sipek was taken into custody and had his license to keep dangerous wild animals revoked by FL wildlife officials. Six years ago, Sipek’s 600-pound tiger named Bobo escaped from his compound and was shot to death by a wildlife officer. Big Cats
February 19, 2012 Kansas City, MO Two male gorillas escaped their enclosure for 3 hours triggering a code red at the zoo. Patrons were locked down in secure areas until the gorillas were returned to their enclosure. The incident is under investigation and it is unknown how the gorillas escaped. Primates
February 17, 2012 Brownwood, TX A monocle cobra that escaped and reported missing since January 18 from a home was found under a glueboard beneath a dresser in the home where it was reported missing. Reptiles