Search Exotic Incidents Database

Tatima, a 35-year-old African elephant at the Lincoln Park Zoo, was found dead in her enclosure. Zoo officials believed she died of tuberculosis, which came as a surprise to zookeepers who were unaware that tuberculosis could be a problem. Handlers were keeping a close eye over the two remaining elephants and other animals that resided in close proximity to the elephant habitat. Tatima arrived in 2003 from the wild animal park in San Diego.

A serval escaped from her residence and was loose for three weeks. The cat escaped through a storm door. She was subsequently recaptured on 11/10/04.

Zeke, a 4-year-old Grant’s zebra, chased a 32-year-old white rhino into a moat, where she died. An examination found that the rhino had drowned.

A 5-year-old boy was bitten by his family’s “pet” wolf. The boy survived attack but wolf was killed.

Passengers waiting for the subway saw a 10-ft-long snake curled up on the tracks. The snake was later run-over by the train.

A serval escaped from home and was subsequently recaptured by Animal Control.

An albino wallaby who had eluded searchers for three days was found dead, apparently killed by a car. The wallaby escaped from a menagerie of exotic animals kept on an estate.

A horse with Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus was killed shortly after being unloaded from the train in which the animals traveled. The horse was struck by a charging stallion while standing beside the train while the other horses were unloaded. Velasquez, a 14-year-old palomino who usually leads an unreined horse act, died a short time later. The show opened as scheduled.

A resident reported that he came face-to-face with a cougar near his home. Animal Control said the cougar could be someone’s “pet” that escaped.

Ivan, a Category 3 cyclone, freed an Asian fallow deer and several does from the zoo. Zoo employees with tranquilizer guns spent the following day tracking the animals in waist-high floodwater, finally recapturing them.