Search Exotic Incidents Database

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, CANADA – Animal protection officers with the P.E.I. Humane Society have seized another large number of animals, this time involving 57 reptiles and exotic species.

The shelter posted on social media Thursday that the Feb. 18 seizure was made under the provincial Animal Welfare Act. The society said it is caring for the animals along with its foster network while an investigation takes place. They have yet to release all of the species involved.

COLUMBUS, OH – The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is mourning the death of its sole killdeer bird. Josh, who lived for about 3-5 years in the wild, was taken into the zoo in 2008 after being injured in the wild and deemed non-releasable. Josh’s care team recently discovered he had a significant injury to his left eye, most likely related to trauma. It caused the eye to go blind and was initially treated in hopes that the eye would heal without further intervention, according to the zoo.

NYC, NY – Ntondo, a Western Lowland Gorilla who had called the Bronx home for over a decade, has just died. He was 32. The zoo said preliminary findings indicate that Ntondo died of an “acute cardiac event.” Ntondo had become very popular with television audiences and zoo visitors after being featured in Animal Planet’s 2017 docuseries, “THE ZOO.” His story was told after diagnostic tests confirmed Ntondo had glaucoma and left him blind.

COLUMBUS, OH – Princess of Chaos, a pet fox that escaped from her owner in the Merion Village area, has finally been captured after nearly two weeks of being on the run.

Lost Pet Recovery, a team of animal recovery experts founded by Don Corsmeier, captured the white-coated female fox with silver markings on Monday morning. Princess disappeared on Feb. 4, when she got outside and hopped a fence, according to owner Michaell Franklin, who posted a report on Pet FBI. “She is a fox, she is spayed, has all her shots, rabies etc.,” Franklin said in her message. “She is a house pet… despite being a ‘wild animal.’

Lost Pet Recovery was able to trap Princess in the warehouse; unfortunately, rat poison had been present in the building. Princess was immediately taken to receive veterinary care and treated for possibly ingesting the toxin. Currently, she is expected to make a full recovery from her ordeal. “Initial blood work came back good with results pending on clotting times, and she will be on vitamin K for a month as a precaution,” Corsmeier said.

ST. LOUIS, MO – According to the zoo, 15½ -year-old giraffe Ella dealt with chronic arthritis. Despite receiving extensive medical treatment, her condition did not improve. The Saint Louis Zoo says on Feb. 13, Ella was unable to stand in the giraffe barn, which prompted the Animal Care and Animal Health teams to euthanize her.

FULLERTON, CA – A California family’s pet tortoise escaped just fast enough to avoid a massive shed fire that broke out when a heat lamp tipped over. Leo, a 3-year-old female tortoise, was dozing inside her pen at a Fullerton home while her owners were at a Super Bowl LX party Sunday night.

When the heat lamp tipped over, a fire started, while Leo appeared to be sleeping on the pet camera near the enclosure. Moments later, Leo luckily made an escape into the yard. Their neighbors extinguished the fire. Leo was later found hiding in a bush nearby. The medical team confirmed that Leo had “some inflammation in her bronchioles” and is undergoing daily saline breathing treatments.

RENO, NV – A pet zebra named Ziggy briefly escaped from their enclosure in south Reno before being recaptured by the owner. Washoe County Regional Animal Services received calls about the zebra and responded to the area of Huffaker Lane, where the animal was last seen, but was unable to locate the zebra before the owner rounded them up.

A call came in around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday from a person who saw a post on Nextdoor about the zebra, but an officer was not dispatched since the person had not actually seen the zebra themselves. A second call came in around 3:30 p.m. from a person who confirmed that a zebra named Ziggy lived at an address close to where the zebra had been spotted. An officer arrived on scene around 5 p.m., but could not find Ziggy. The next day, the owner of the zebra was called. They confirmed the zebra got loose for 10 to 15 minutes on the 8th.