July 10, 2002 Bowie, MD A land tortoise was on the loose in Bowie. The “pet” tortoise escaped from her backyard while her guardians were out of town. Reptiles
July 6, 2002 East Hempfield Township, PA A “pet” alligator escaped from his home and was found on the 15th green of a Lancaster County golf course. The alligator was returned to his possessor. Reptiles
July 5, 2002 Hermitage, TN A family disclosed that their exotic “pet” cat resembling a cheetah has escaped his home. Big Cats
July 4, 2002 St. Tammany Parish, LA A 12-ft-long Burmese python was recaptured by a neighbor. Reptiles
July 2, 2002 Stonington, CT A serval hybrid cat was on the loose after he escaped from his home. Small Cats
July 1, 2002 West Concord, MN Cindy Lou, a captive black bear, bit a 7-year-old girl while her grandfather was feeding the bears. The bear lunged at the girl, biting her right leg and taking her to the ground. Bears
July 1, 2002 Henrietta, NY A man was bitten by his “pet” rattlesnake, which he was keeping illegally. The man was handling three timber rattlesnakes in his home when one of the snakes bit him. Reptiles
June 28, 2002 Muskego, WI A “pet” wallaby, Rocko, bit a 6-year-old boy on the finger while the boy was in Rocko’s pen. The boy, along with another child, ran away from Rocko, but Rocko chased the two boys. Rocko then kicked the second boy and knocked him to the ground. Rocko had previously escaped in May, see incident of 05/01/02. Other
June 27, 2002 Norfolk, VA Tommy, a 6-year-old baboon, died after a scuffle the previous day with Joe, the most dominant of the zoo’s three baboons. Tommy’s injuries were minor – a 2-inch-long cut and two bites – but he stopped breathing as he was recovering from being anesthetized for treatment. Primates
June 24, 2002 Worcester, MA An alligator escaped from his home and was recaptured a month later while swimming in a local pond. Reptiles