Search Exotic Incidents Database

A Suphan cobra bit a zookeeper at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium while being fed a dead rat. The zookeeper, who had 20 years of experience handling reptiles, was reported in stable condition at a local hospital.

A 200-lb “pet” cougar escaped from a family’s backyard, where the “owners” admitted to keeping other exotics like a bear, a tiger, and a baboon.

An elephant escaped an exhibit at a shopping mall after he heard police sirens.

Customs officials at the Los Angeles Airport confiscated four exotic birds and two pygmy monkeys from a California man, Robert Cusack, returning from Thailand. The four birds of paradise were hidden in the man’s luggage and the two monkeys were hidden in the man’s pants. The man was arrested on smuggling charges. The monkeys are listed as a threatened and endangered species. 50 rare orchids were also confiscated. The monkeys were turned over to the LA Zoo.

A 20-year-old female elephant at the Miami Metrozoo knocked down a 31-year-old zookeeper and kicked him into a pile of rocks. Knocked unconscious, the zookeeper suffered a laceration to his head and injury to his back, and was listed in critical condition at the hospital. A crowd of visitors who witnessed the attack included children.

A 15-inch-long alligator was reported missing from a local pet store.

A baby red-flanked duiker (African antelope) jumped its 4-foot nursery fence after being startled by a musical group at the Los Angeles Zoo. The animal was recaptured two days later on a nearby golf course.

A 6-year-old monkey escaped from his possessor and was loose in the neighborhood. He was recaptured later.

A 3-ft-long iguana was found in an abandoned home. The animal was suffering from a metabolic bone disease and needed surgery.