Search Exotic Incidents Database

Woman in her mid-70s made a deal with authorities to relinquish 17 wolves, 5 bobcats, 60 domestic cats, and an unknown number of dogs to avoid criminal charges of animal cruelty because of deplorable living conditions. Some of the animals were placed in facilities in other states. She was able to keep 2 bobcats and 2 wolves and will be monitored closely by authorities.

An emu that had escaped from a possessor’s pen a week earlier was recaptured by police and Animal Control officers after wandering into a resident’s yard.

A 400-pound white tiger owned by Mark McCarthy of McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary bit it’s owner, Mark, in the leg during a video shoot for Rapper Rick Ross.

A bear escaped from the Society for the Protection and Care of Animals facility and was on the loose for a full week before being recaptured by the facilities staff. The facility is now being investigated as they failed to report the animal missing and initially denied having the bear at all to officials. A serval also escaped from this same facility and was never recaptured.

A serval escaped from a sanctuary and could not be found. A bear also escaped from the same sanctuary, but was later caught. DNR is investigating the sanctuary for possible licensing violations.

A tragic mid-air collision during an afternoon show at Seaworld’s Discovery Cove left one dolphin dead. The 30-year-old female dolphin, Sharky, was performing a jump with another dolphin when the two collided head-on. The other dolphin was being monitored and was expected to be okay. An investigation into training protocols was planned, as was a necropsy. Sharky was reportedly captured from the wild in 1982.

Residents reported seeing a very large black leopard or similar cat near Schaefer Road in Keene. It was believed that the cat either escaped from a local residents or was turned loose.

Rocky, a 700-lb grizzly bear, killed his trainer with one bite to the neck. Fire department officials who responded attempted to revive the main but were unsuccesful. Subsequent reports stated that authorities did not plan to euthanize Rocky.

A troop of African monkeys escaped from a Polk County wildlife facility. The president of Safari Wild said it would take up to a week to capture them all, they carried no diseases, and all were microchipped.

A 6-year-old girl was bitten by a neighbor’s “pet” monkey, Mikey. While being walked on a leash, Mikey ran up to her and bit her on the finger. A Java macaque, Mikey was later euthanized by health authorities despite Born Free USA’s plea to send him to their Primate Sanctuary. Brain sample tests indicated he did not have rabies.