Search Exotic Incidents Database

Two elephants were spooked by tornados and escaped the Culpepper and Merriweather Circus. Both entered backyards with one taking the branches off a tree and another drinking water from a bird bath. Fortunately no one was hurt in this incident. One elephant was coaxed into a truck while the other had to be tranquilized.

WildCare Foundation picked up a diamondback rattlesnake whose mouth was sewn shut. The Foundation’s vet removed the stitches and discovered the snake’s fangs had also been removed. They placed the snake with an appropriate reptile facility.

An animal handler was taken to the hospital for stitches after being scratched and bitten by Katie, a 16-year-old lioness at the Detroit Zoo. The keeper used pepper spray to fend off Katie during the attack. An investigation by the zoo into the incident was planned.

At the Potawatomi Zoo, an Amur Leopard attacked a zookeeper in the exhibit’s holding area, during a routine daily cleaning of the cage. The zookeeper suffered head wounds and was taken to a local hospital where she was treated, then released the following day. The leopard had been in the holding area, off exhibit, since giving birth to a cub in December.

A sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a 50-lb cat after a neighbor called to say that the animal was clawing at her door. Authorities believed the animal was someone’s “pet” as it appeared to be in good health.

Visitors to the Calgary Zoo’s Elephant Crossing facility watched as a 33-year-old elephant, Swarna, pushed a zookeeper into a wall, knocking him down. The zookeeper sustained injuries to his face and chest, including difficulty breathing, and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The incident was under investigation by the zoo officials, who believed that Swarna may have been trying to protect the calf of another elephant in the pen.

29 year-old Bruno, a 300-pound orangutan, escaped from his enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo. Visitors were evacuated and Bruno was recaptured by zookeepers who injected him with anesthesia and carried him back to his bedroom area.

Luna Bella, a 10-year-old Bornean orangutan, escaped her enclosure at the new Jungala exhibit at Busch Gardens, necessitating closure of the exhibit and removal of park visitors from the area. Luna Bella was out of her enclosure for nearly an hour before being recaptured by zookeepers. The larger park remained open to visitors during the incident. Part of the exhibit was set to remain closed and the six resident orangutans kept in their night quarters until park officials could determine measures to prevent further escapes.

Felony animal-cruelty charges were filed against a Bozeman man for abandoning primates and fish in his trailer home in January 2008. The man had previous convictions for cruelty to animals.

KeKe, a 39-year-old African elephant, passed away at the Dallas Zoo from serious illness. KeKe was sick for week and was being treated for a severe case of intestinal colic. KeKe recently stopped eating. She also lay on her side for some time, although zoo officials used a crane to lift her to her feet not long before her death. KeKe was transferred to Dallas Zoo in 2003 to be a companion for Jenny, the zoo’s other African elephant, and they subsequently became very close.