August 7, 2011 Anaheim, CA A 54-year old elephant named Sarah collapsed shortly after performing at the Ringling Bros Circus. The elephant was boarding a rail car when she collapsed. Earlier in the year, USDA had cited Ringling Bros for failing to adequately treat with her medical needs. Elephants
August 7, 2011 Rainier, OR An anteater escaped from a private breeder and was found by a man, on the side of the road limping, who took it home and tracked down the owner. The breeder didn’t know the anteater was missing. Other
August 6, 2011 Hendersonville, NC A man had to be rushed to the hospital after authorities say he was bitten by his pet snake, a European Long Nose Viper. When authorities seized his pets, they discovered 60 snakes and lizards inside his home. Some of the species were so rare that officials had to send them to experts to be identified-most were venemous. A number of dead reptiles were also recovered. The man was keeping the reptiles illegally. Reptiles
August 4, 2011 Shelbyville, TN Authorities shot and killed a pet monkey after it escaped and attacked a woman and a sheriff’s deputy. The woman had to be hospitalized for her injuries. Four other monkeys, 2 Java macaques and 2 Rhesus macaques, were found living in deplorable conditions in the owner’s home and were rescued. Primates
August 3, 2011 Portland, OR 116 exotic bids were seized by officals from an exotic bird breeder. The owner had run the Hookbill Haven Aviary for over 30 years. Many of the birds were found in poor health with cages stacked on top of each other. In addition to the exotic birds, horses, chickens and cats were also found. Other
August 3, 2011 Madison, WI Dane County Humane Society seized a 3-year old baboon that was being kept in a basement. The man on two separate occassions lied to authorities about keeping a baboon, but admitted owning one when confronted with an inspection warrant issued by a judge. The man gave up the baboon to authorities. Primates
August 2, 2011 New York, NY A peacock escaped from the Central Park Zoo and perched on a Fifth Avenue apartment building near the park. After one day, the bird flew back to the zoo. Other
August 1, 2011 Timmins (Ontario), CA A local man reported encountering a very large, live snake, which turned out to be a Burmese Python measuring about 18 ft in length. Following consultation with zoo officials, the police “humanely dispatched” the snake. It is believed that the snake was deposited by someone in the area. Reptiles
July 28, 2011 Guadalupe County, TX A woman was attacked by a 14-foot boa constrictor as she was giving it some water. The woman is a former wildlife rehabilitator and has years of experience caring for snakes. She had cared for this particular snake for the past 8 years. Emergency crews tried to behead the snake, but the snake survived the attempt. Reptiles