Search Exotic Incidents Database

A grossly malnourished Bengal tiger and more than 208 sickly dogs were confiscated in a raid on J. B. Precious Puppies. More than 10 puppy carcasses were discovered, including two remnants in the tiger’s cage. The proprietor, a woman, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty — one for the dogs, the other for the tiger, which authorities said should have weighed more than 400 lbs for a tiger of his age and size. The 175-lb tiger was sedated and taken to a zoo in Springfield. In 2007, the woman had been fined $10,000 by the USDA and 127 animals were confiscated. But no charges were brought and so she resumed her unlicensed business.

A man encountered a serval in his backyard. He called the police, and they arrived with zoo vet staff, who tranquilized the cat with a dart gun then captured him/her in a net. The cat was taken to the Audubon Zoothe as police tried to locate the owner.

Travis, a 15-year-old chimpanzee, savagely attacked his possessor’s friend outside her home, inflicting horrific life-threatening injuries. The possessor stabbed Travis with a large knife in attempt to rescue her friend. Travis then attacked a police officer. Travis was shot and died in his possessor’s home. Travis’ mother, Suzi, also went on a rampage in Missouri and was shot dead in 2001.

Cinder, a 14-year-old chimpanzee at the St. Louis Zoo, died unexpectedly sometime Sunday. Zookeepers found Cinder collapsed on the floor and, despite efforts to resuscitate her, she died.

A local man discovered a dead alligator in his yard after a recent thaw. Humane officials theorized that the alligator was released by a former possessor.

A veterinarian at the Henry Doorly Zoo was bitten by a sedated tiger and was in fair condition at Creighton University Medical Center. The zoo director theorized that the vet brushed against the tiger’s whiskers, setting off a reflexive action that resulted in a bite.

Park workers recaptured a 12-ft-long alligator belonging to a local taxidermist who had recently died. The alligator weighed more than 800 lbs and had been living in a pond in the taxidermist’s backyard. He was taken to G.W. Exotic Animal Park.

A 200-lb black bear caught on video roaming Bureau County was captured and moved to a Moline zoo. Biological samples were taken for testing to determine whether the bear was wild or captive-bred.

Two pythons, one measuring 23 ft long and weighing 130 lbs, escaped from their enclosure at their possessor’s home. Police warned residents and both snakes were recaptured the next afternoon. A police officer was quoted, “There is no leash law for snakes” and the possessor was not cited.

Berani, a Sumatran orangutan, got creative and used a T-shirt to scale a 10-foot wall at the Audubon Zoo. A zookeeper was able to coax Berani back into his enclosure without incident.