Search Exotic Incidents Database

SAN BERNARDINO, CA – A San Bernardino family reunited with their pet python after she was found in an In-N-Out drive-thru nearly 50 miles away from their home.  Henny, the 4-year-old python, went missing from Vanessa Navarro’s San Bernardino home seven weeks ago.

“We were outside doing yard work, and my boyfriend, Abraham, fell over and he used her cage to stop himself, and the top popped off. The screen part. We thought we had secured it when we left her there that night,” she said.” Henny slithered out of the screen and disappeared until the Pasadena Humane Society recovered the python lying around an In-N-Out drive-thru in Monrovia. The shelter posted a picture of Henny, and Navarro immediately recognized her.

Navarro said it’s a bit of a mystery how Henny arrived at the In-N-Out, but believes she could have wrapped herself under a truck. “I think she hitchhiked on somebody’s car,” Navarro said.

WACO, TX – Two kangaroos slipped out of a wildlife rescue in Waco after work hours and briefly explored the neighborhood nearby before being recaptured. The center quickly called in help, and the animals were quickly located, contained, and brought back without injury.

WARWICK, NY –  Cops rescued dozens of neglected animals from a rancid upstate New York home, including peacocks, wallabies, tarantulas, and an Australian bearded dragon lizard. Linda Hickey, 62, was hit with animal neglect charges after the discovery in the town of Warwick — where authorities found more than 100 other animals in putrid conditions last year. Most of the animals were kept in unsanitary and feces-strewn cages, including rabbits with unkempt and overgrown fur.

Police began investigating Hickey’s home last year after receiving complaints from the community — with animal rescue workers later removing 106 animals from the property. Deputies executed an arrest warrant on Aug. 12 stemming from the 2024 investigation — which led to a search warrant of the house last week, the sheriff’s office said. “A total of 66 animals were seized, including rabbits, geese, parrots, a raccoon, tortoises, prairie dogs, a starling, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, hamsters, ferrets, degus, a goat, bearded dragons, a snake, a hermit crab, a tarantula, peacocks, a wallaby, dogs, ducks and cats,” authorities said.

Two days later, on Sept. 18, another 18 animals were rescued from the home, the sheriff said. All of the animals were removed and are getting veterinary care, they said.

SACRAMENTO, CA – A clouded leopard, who had only recently moved to the Sacramento Zoo, has died. Serai and Rajasi, a clouded leopard pair, arrived at the zoo earlier in 2025 from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

It was around July when the 14-year-old Serai started having health issues. Zookeepers noted that she was having trouble balancing, with veterinarians later finding a mass in her parathyroid gland. The mass was removed from Serai, but some previous symptoms still lingered.

Zookeepers continued to rehabilitate Serai. Then, on Sept. 29, the zoo says staff found Serai had suffered a severe injury to one of her front legs. The decision was then made to euthanize Serai.

PALATINE, IL – In Illinois, a 60-pound tortoise escaped from his enclosure in Palatine on Saturday afternoon, with his owners posting on Facebook that he had last been seen near Wilkie and Oakton. Concern quickly spread through the community as neighbors kept an eye out. On Sunday, Arlington Heights police received a call about a large tortoise on the loose. Officers responded and quickly located the animal under a peach tree. Police were able to capture the tortoise and reunite him with his owners.

WARROAD, MN – The Roseau County Sheriff’s Office, located in the north of the state, shared that the state Department of Natural Resources received a report stating that a pet bobcat had escaped from their owner in Warroad.

The Roseau County Sheriff’s Office is urging residents not to approach the bobcat and to contact law enforcement if they are spotted.

The post continued: “If you see the animal, do not approach it and call the Minnesota DNR or the Roseau County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s Office 218-463-1421. DNR 507-285-7186.”

TOPEKA, KS – The Topeka Zoo announced on Sept. 24 that one of their cheetah’s, Leopold, had severe spinal damage that could not be corrected, and has since been put down.

Staff at the Topeka Zoo noticed on Sept. 18 that the cheetah was walking with tenderness around his hind legs, and after a few days of rest and treatment, his condition worsened. After a CT scan on Sunday, it was revealed that Leopold has a fractured vertebra, which required corrective surgery.

The BluePearl Specialty & Emergency Vet Hospital in Overland Park discovered during his surgery that the damage could not be repaired. The Topeka Zoo believes that Leopold sustained his injury while inside his enclosure on Wednesday. He is survived by littermate Roosevelt, who arrived with him at the zoo earlier this summer.