Search Exotic Incidents Database

A 3-year-old wallaby escaped from the backyard of a home. Two San Bernardino Animal Control officers finally corralled the animal. Authorities said a woman was babysitting the wallaby for his possessor when the animal escaped. The possessor was cited for keeping a wild animal without a permit.

Officers investigating a break-in at local residence found a 10-ft-long albino Burmese python. An Animal Control Officer said the malnourished and dehydrated snake should weigh approximately 100 lbs but thought it weighed barely 30 lbs. She cared for reptiles and snakes at Palmetto Reptiles and Exotic Animals and intended to nurse the snake back to good health.

A female Japanese snow monkey that escaped her home in early December was finally caught on the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base grounds. The monkey’s fate was still unclear.

A 4-year-old zebra, Zina, died from a broken neck after apparently running into a fence in a holding area at the Woodland Park Zoo.

Judy, a chimpanzee at the Little Rock Zoo, escaped from her enclosure into a nearby service area when a zookeeper opened the door to her sleeping quarters unaware that she was still inside. Judy was sedated and returned to her enclosure.

Ralph, a 22-ft-long whale shark, died at the Georgia Aquarium. A necropsy revealed Ralph had thin, perforated stomach walls which led to peritonitis.

A cougar scaled a 14-ft fence to escape his pen at a western Indian preserve, the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, and remained at large. The cougar was believed to be on the preserve grounds which housed nearly 200 exotic cats.

A 17-year-old beluga whale was euthanized at the Georgia Aquarium after months of declining health. The whale had been in poor health since before his arrival at the aquarium in October 2005.

A family which kept several kangaroos, wallabies, and other exotic “pets” in their backyard came under fire from a Bartlett City Judge who ordered them to either find new homes or relocate their rescue operation. The family relocated to a new residence and was attempting to place the wallabies with a USDA facility.

A 14-ft-long python bit an 18 year-old handler during a daily snake show at Tarpon Springs Aquarium. Police had to use a stun gun to get the snake to release the woman. The handler suffered puncture wounds to her wrist. The aquarium owner canceled snake show indefinitely.