Search Exotic Incidents Database

A 6 week old lion cub was found partially paralyzed at the Lion Country Safari in Florida. It was speculated that she was attacked by another lion in the same enclosure.

Neither “owner” wanted custody of their “pet” mountain lion after their divorce so they left the lion chained to a tree behind the house. The animal was taken to the humane society.

About 20 marine animals died. 12 stingrays died after a worker slipped and damaged a sprinkler system, which leaked water into the stingrays’ saltwater tank. Five seahorses several jellyfish die died due to a malfunction in their tank.

A man found a 4-1/2-ft-long alligator in a Staten Island stream. The alligator was rescued from the stream and sent to an animal keeper in Pennsylvania. Officials believed the alligator was someone’s “pet.”

Health officials linked six cases of E. coli infection in children to The Farm petting zoo. Three children were hospitalized. The bacterium apparently spread by water in a bucket in which the children washed their hands.

Police shut down two lanes of highway while they tried to corral ten ponies loose from the Sterling & Reid Circus. No injuries were reported to ponies or residents.

Four boys stumbled across a dead 5-ft-long snake next to Greenville Creek. The snake was assumed to be someone’s “pet” released into the wild.

A 22-year-old man was charged with 9 counts of animal cruelty after police seized a cougar, a black leopard, 13 chinchillas, 3 prairie dogs, 12 pythons, and other animals. The animals were living in filthy conditions. The animals were taken away and local authorities were finding homes for them. The man was ordered to pay $13,575 in damages to the apartment, $500 to the humane society, and sentenced to 4 months in a house of corrections.

A Bengal tiger escaped from its cage and was found wandering down a neighboring street. The “owner” was out of town at the time of the incident.

A 2-month-old colt with the National Hispanic Circus ran loose in a parking lot and collided with a slow-moving car. The animal was euthanized after it was determined that a leg was broken beyond medical help.