Search Exotic Incidents Database

An 11-ft-long, 50-lb Burmese python was recaptured after she escaped her holding case.

Police found the bodies of an elderly man and woman and dozens of live animals inside an Orlando home. Among the animals confiscated were one spider monkey and three capuchin monkeys. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, along with Animal Control, was assisting with the animals.

Animals officials confiscated a 4-ft-long boa constrictor from a Manhattan laudromat. She was curled up between bags of clothes. The boa was taken to a reptile sanctuary.

An African serval cat escaped his possessor’s home and roamed free. The cat, Taabu, was said to be friendly but might hiss if approached, said the possessor. A reward was offered for his safe return. **UPDATE 08/13/09 The missing serval cat was found in an Ashwaubenon warehouse and was safely returned to his possessor who was returning to his home in Anchorage, AK.

Residents captured an 18-inch-long alligator roaming their property. The alligator was transferred to a reptile rescuer in Avon. (The article noted that the Department of Environmental Protection held an amnesty day for illegal, exotic animals at Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport. The DEP took in 135 animals, including 8 alligators and caimans.)

A 38-year-old male bicyclist was stopped for carrying an alligator on his shoulders. The man fled the scene, leaving behind his bicyle and gator. He was later arrested and booked on several charges, including cruelty to animals by abandonment. The alligator was released into a marsh near Bayou Gauch.

A 3-ft-long alligator was discovered beneath a vehicle in Jefferson City. The possessor was fined $50 but claimed someone tried to steal his alligator and that is why it was found on the street.

A 4-year-old girl was kicked in the face by a deer that was startled by a young boy at Southwick Zoo’s Deer Forest. The girl suffered a bruise to her right cheek. She was treated at a local hospital and was listed in stable condition.

A “pet” Gila monster bit a local man, sending him to the hospital. Reports indicated he was in fair condition at Miami Valley Hospital. Sheriff’s officials reported that the lizard belonged to a woman present at the time of the bite but they did not know whether she was living there or just visiting.

Picasso, a 400-lb white tiger, was found in a backyard in a far northwest Las Vegas neighborhood. His possessor was able to corner him and return him to his cage. The man said he was walking the tiger as part of his recovery from a recent surgery when the tiger caught a rabbit in his sight and took chase.