Search Exotic Incidents Database

A woman discovered an 8-ft-long “pet” python in her backyard.

Samson, a 500-lb African lion at Knoll’s 77 Zoological Park, attacked a zookeeper who entered his cage for a photo. The lion grabbed the man, threw him into a corner, and chewed on him before releasing the man. The zookeeper had a hole ripped in his throat, his right eye pulled out of its socket, severed tendons in his neck and chest, torn skin, and bites down to the bone. He was listed in critical condition for 11 days. He lost 80% of his eyesight and needed an operation to restore his vision. He had trained large animals since the age of 12 when he began training bears in a circus in Europe.

A cougar was hit and mortally injured by a car after he ran onto the Interstate. It was suspected the cougar was a “pet” since it was the first documented sighting of a cougar in the area for more than a century.

A caged, green mamba snake bit a man on his finger.

A 13-year-old lion named Tana was found dead in his cage one day after a complete checkup. Zoo records show that nearly twice as much anesthesia was used on Tana as in 8 previous procedures. Keepers called twice after the exam to tell vets that Tana was groggy and glassy-eyed, but no vet checked on him after he was returned to his exhibit. The pathology report concluded that Tana died of complications of anesthesia. A preliminary necropsy found the death was due to an unexplained buildup of blood and fluid in his lungs.

A man was attacked by one of his 24 tigers and suffered severe injuries to his arm, head, and face. The man was the husband of Joan Byron-Marasek, the “Tiger Lady.”

A 3-month-old child was attacked in her crib by her family’s “pet” raccoon. The child suffered serious injuries sufficient to need major facial reconstructive surgery.

A Burmese python was on the loose in the Carter community. The snake escaped after a haystack fell on the snake’s enclosure, releasing the latch.

Tigger, a Bengal tiger, was shot and killed after escaping from a trailer at the Travelcenters of America truck stop. Tigger’s possessor was attempting to give him water when he escaped.

The director of the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens was working in one of the park’s water lily gardens when an 11-ft alligator, MoJo, bit off his right arm just below the elbow. MoJo was harpooned, shot, and his stomach slit open to retrieve the arm, but surgeons were unable to reattach the arm. The man was listed in fair condition.