December 8, 2011 Honolulu, HI Five boa constrictors and two lizards were turned over under Hawaii’s illegal animal amnesty program. Reptiles
December 8, 2011 Perry Township, OH A large feline was sighted by several people in a small Eastern Ohio town. It has not been confirmed whether or not the feline spotted was a mountain lion or an escaped African lion. Big Cats
December 5, 2011 South Vernon, MI A 6-7 ft long Burmese python was found dead at a rental house while police were there trying to serve an eviction notice. Reptiles
November 28, 2011 Cincinnati, OH Inside Edition filmed G.W. Exotic Animal Park’s traveling tiger exhibit at the Northgate Mall, where shoppers could pay to get their pictures taken with a cub and play with the babies in a pen. One eight-week-old cub was obviously sick and barely moved during filming. Another cub on display was missing a patch of fur and appeared distressed while posing in photos. Also on display were six-month-old tigers. They were kept behind a cage because by law, the public is not allowed to interact with tigers older than three months. However, an employee said he got scratched by one of the older tigers just the day before: “There was blood everywhere. It was just a total, total mess.” Big Cats
November 26, 2011 Cave Junction, OR A teenager allowed to handle a tiger and leopard during a photo shoot was bitten by the leopard, according to a USDA complaint. Immediately after, a leopard was left loose and unattended inside an admission/gift shop building, whereupon two adults and toddler entered and one adult and the child were injured. Big Cats
November 17, 2011 Platte City, MO A pet wallaby who escaped and was found wandering the neighborhood was caught and taken to the Kansas City Zoo. Although his guardian wanted him back, the Platte City Board of Altderman voted to keep the city’s exotic animal restrictions in place due to public safety repucussions. A new home will have to be found for Noah, the wallaby. Other
November 9, 2011 Omaha, NE A 30-year old man was arrested after authorities found an alligator, a rat snake, and 33 tortoises and turtles in filthy conditions along with an elaborate marjijuana-growing operation in his home. The man was booked on suspicion of manufacturing marijuana and cited on suspicion of harboring a nondomestic animal and numerous counts of animal cruelty. Reptiles
November 8, 2011 Seattle, WA A 12-year old female lion named Kalisa got out of her den at the Woodland Park Zoo and was roaming the hallway of a service building before being tranquilized and returned to her enclosure. Big Cats
November 7, 2011 Dallas, TX A spider monkey escaped his enclosure. Staff members later captured the primate and returned him to his enclosure. Human error appears to be he reason for the escape. A chimpanzee escaped from his enclosure 2 weeks prior at this zoo. Primates
November 4, 2011 Berkeley, CA a minitiar Reeves Muntjac deer has been spotted in Berkeley’s Cesar Chavez Park. Animal experts are concerned because the tiny animal could be prey for larger animals. It was unknown where the animal came from. Other