Search Exotic Incidents Database

Police received a report that a man was keeping an alligator in his backyard, and then released the gator over the fence. The gator has not been located.

Keeping an alligator is illegal in Washington.

A humphead wrasse named Percy died, likely of cancer.

Dizzy, a 12 lb guenon monkey, twisted a door knob and let himself out of his enclosure. At the time, a zoo employee had been cleaning out the enclosure, and exited in order to answer a question from a visitor. Dizzy got into the trees above the zoo enclosure and cleared the fence around the zoo, and got into the trees throughout Forest Park. He was recaptured two days later.

Approximately 400 animals were seized from a home. Officers with the Animal Crime Unit found more than 250 birds (mostly exotic), 151 reptiles (mostly turtles, including an alligator snapping turtle), chinchillas, prairie dogs, sugar gliders, and a skunk. The animals were kept in horribly cramped and unsanitary conditions.

A turkey vulture named Scott, who was brought to the zoo in 2014 and deemed non-releasable, died.

A teenager named JC Lara was alerted by his dog to a 14-foot python in his backyard. Lara and his father shot and buried the snake, which was likely an escaped pet.

A waterbuck named Neva escaped from her enclosure on her first day at the zoo. She remained within the zoo perimeter, and was tranquilized and recaptured about two hours later.

A 41-year-old silverback gorilla named Tatu was euthanized because of ongoing health problems. The zoo says Tatu’s health had been declining for several weeks. Last week, the Western lowland gorilla suddenly lost the ability to use his legs, and an MRI showed compression on his spinal cord, which was caused by severe arthritis.

A 10-foot-long reticulated python named Banana Jam escaped his enclosure in a garage. He was found by the owner 3 days later.

$18,000 worth of snakes were stolen from Bart’s Exotic Pets store. 8 ball pythons were taken, including one valued at $5,000. The thief was arrested in Iowa, and the snakes were returned.