Search Exotic Incidents Database

WASHINGTON, DC – A binturong bit two National Zoo employees on Dec. 12, sending both to the hospital. The Washington D.C. zoo’s binturong Lola — a dog-sized mammal known as a bearcat that is native to Southeast Asia — was undergoing a routine weight check and training session with a staff member when the incident occurred on Dec. 12. The check took place in an area of the zoo that is closed to the public. Around 10 a.m. local time, the binturong bit the employee and “did not readily let go,” the National Zoo shared in a statement about the “safety incident.”

The staff member sustained “non-life-threatening injuries” during the attack. Another animal care specialist at the zoo stepped in to help. They removed Lola from the area and placed her in a separate enclosure. This second animal care staff member was bitten while moving the bearcat, the zoo stated. Both employees were sent to the hospital to have their injuries treated.

DETROIT, MI – Tula, a 6-year-old camel, has died. For more than a year, Tula had been working with the zoo’s veterinary, behavioral husbandry and animal care teams through a “degenerative ligament condition that affected her comfort and mobility,” according to a Facebook post by the Detroit Zoo. The zoo euthanized her on Monday, Nov. 24.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – A female chimpanzee escaped her enclosure at the Indianapolis Zoo on Friday morning around 10 a.m., prompting a lockdown and swift emergency response from zoo staff.

“At approximately 10 a.m., a female chimpanzee was seen outside her exhibit,” the zoo said in a statement posted to Facebook. The animal was later sedated and safely returned to her habitat, with no injuries reported. “Following emergency protocol, the zoo was immediately locked down, and all guests were escorted to secure locations,” the zoo also said. “The chimpanzee was sedated and returned to her exhibit.” Visitors were escorted to secure indoor areas while staff tracked and recaptured the chimpanzee.

As of Friday afternoon, the zoo confirmed that all operations had resumed normally.

DISTRICT TOWNSHIP, PA – Two wildcats that escaped from a Berks County wildlife center earlier this week after high winds damaged their enclosure have been captured. However, one remains on the loose as of Sunday morning.

The African Serval escaped Thursday night from the Cricket Wildlife Center in District Township, which is about four miles southwest of Bear Creek Mountain Resort. Gusty winds caused a large tree to fall on their enclosure, allowing them to get out. The animal has been spotted near the facility.

If you see the wildcats, you are asked to call the Cricket Wildlife Center at 717-381-9893.

*UPDATE: Sadly, one of the three African serval cats that escaped from the Cricket Wildlife Center in Lehigh County in November was struck and killed by a car Monday, December 1st.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – A dolphin calf was born to a first-time mom at the Indiana zoo on Oct. 29, “began to rapidly decline” three days later on Nov. 1 and died the same day, a zoo spokesperson said.

“Dolphin calves, especially those born to first-time mothers, face significant challenges in the critical early days after birth,” the spokesperson explained, adding, “The dolphin and mother were monitored 24/7 by marine mammal and vet staff in the hours leading up to the birth and after. Every effort was made to intervene and improve the dolphin’s chances of survival, but unfortunately, he did not make it,” the statement continued.