Search Exotic Incidents Database

According to a citation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a zookeeper failed to handle infant bears with sufficient care. They fed the bears with a bottle in such a manner that both developed aspiration pneumonia from inhaling milk into their lungs, which caused the death of one of the bears.

A 23-year-old female employee of Wildlife Safari remained in serious condition at Mercy Medical Center after being attacked by a black bear she was attempting to feed. The employee hit the bear with a cattle prod and the angered animal then knocked the woman to the ground, inflicting large lacerations on her right thigh and hand.

A man with a history of improper care and control of both exotic and domestic animals was cited for illegally possessing an endangered Siamang Gibbon.

Fifteen childen, ranging in age from 8 to 12, suffered bumps and scrapes when the elephant giving rides they were waiting to ride became startled and knocked down a scaffolding stairway on which they were waiting. The incident took place during a performance of the Murat Shrine Circus.

A 50-lb alligator was discovered by firefighters who responded to a fire alarm at a former school site. The alligator returned to its possessor and no charges were filed.

A man who kept a hyena in his backyard, in a chain-link pen with a dog house, was cited by police for owning and displaying a wild or exotic animal.

A 300-lb Bengal tiger was rescued from a home near Waco and put in the care of the Humane Society of North Texas. The tiger was found living in unsafe conditions, underweight and infested with hookworms.

Ritkus, a male DeBrazza’s guenon, escaped from his exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo and was free for about 45 minutes before being tranquilized and safely returned to his exhibit.

A grossly malnourished Bengal tiger and more than 208 sickly dogs were confiscated in a raid on J. B. Precious Puppies. More than 10 puppy carcasses were discovered, including two remnants in the tiger’s cage. The proprietor, a woman, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty — one for the dogs, the other for the tiger, which authorities said should have weighed more than 400 lbs for a tiger of his age and size. The 175-lb tiger was sedated and taken to a zoo in Springfield. In 2007, the woman had been fined $10,000 by the USDA and 127 animals were confiscated. But no charges were brought and so she resumed her unlicensed business.

A man encountered a serval in his backyard. He called the police, and they arrived with zoo vet staff, who tranquilized the cat with a dart gun then captured him/her in a net. The cat was taken to the Audubon Zoothe as police tried to locate the owner.