Search Exotic Incidents Database

One of two Arctic foxes escaped from the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. The fox, named Scout, was spotted by local residents about three hours after zookeepers discovered him missing. He was subsequently captured by zookeepers and returned to the zoo unharmed. Zoo officials suspected he had squeezed through the fence posts of the red wolf enclosure, where he had been left overnight because of previous escape attempts.

A state warden took possession of a 2- to 3-year-old American alligator living in a terrarium in a local resident’s home. The possessor was issued a summons for keeping wildlife in captivity and importing/receiving wildlife without a permit. The alligator was turned over to an animal rescue facility in Winslow.

Berani, an 8-year-old, 245-pound Sumatran tiger, escaped his exhibit into an unsecured holding area at the Honolulu Zoo, when staff failed to properly latch a gate to his enclosure.

A roadside zoo called Guha’s Tiger & Lion Farm lost one of its big cats, a black leopard, when he escaped from his enclosure and attacked the possessor’s dog. The leopard was shot by Ontario Provincial Police and, due to her extensive injuries, the dog was later shot as well.

Three exotic cats, including a mountain lion, African lion, and tiger found in the backyard of a home in Winfield were confiscated and turned over to an exotic animal shelter. A humane society investigator was on a call about a cruelty case involving a monkey when the cats were discovered.

A 300-pound, 3-year-old Malayan tiger named Mata bit the finger of a zookeeper at the Palm Beach Zoo. The zookeeper was rewarding Mata with a treat at the time. Florida Fish and Wildlife investigators believed the keeper deviated from protocol by using her fingers to extend the treat instead of holding her palm flat with the treat on it. Though the keeper did not lose part of her finger, a surgeon was called to repair the damage.

A 4-ft-long iguana named Godzilla escaped from her possessor’s home when someone opened the front door and she fled.

Brenda Chapman, a worker at the Horseshoe Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, was attacked by a tiger who mauled her left leg and right hand while she was cleaning its cage. Darrell Atkinson, the founder of the sanctuary, was charged with keeping a tiger in a substandard cage by FL FWC. The case marks the 43rd tie the FWC has filed charges against Atkinson since 1993.

More than 200 reptiles including 2 gila monsters were discovered abandoned in a freezing, filthy room attached to a garage in Hesperia. Most were alive though weak. Some had died from dehydration, including the 2 gila monsters. The owner of Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Phelan took possession of the surviving reptiles to care for them.

A 2-month-old baby elephant at the San Diego Zoo was euthanized after struggling since birth. The elephant calf was suffering from an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, which was also reported in three zoo employees. It was unclear whether the elephant or the zoo staff members were the first to present with the infection. Additionally, the baby elephant had suffered from the effects of malnourishment, unable to get enough milk from the mother elephant, or to transition well to drinking formula.