April 11, 2017 San Diego, CA One of the U.S. Navy’s team of bottlenose dolphins was euthanized at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) facility on San Diego Bay. The 46-year-old male dolphin – named Makai – had been suffering from ailments associated with old age. Marine
April 9, 2017 Salt Lake City, UT Rizzo, a 19-year-old polar bear, was euthanized after being diagnosed with renal failure due to a terminal kidney condition. Bears
April 9, 2017 Gainesville, GA An exotic pet shop was robbed twice in recent weeks, and the owner believes the thief is selling the animals on the black market. Three hybrid red-tailed boa constrictors and a 2-and-a-half-foot iguana were stolen. Reptiles
April 5, 2017 Worcester, MA A staff member found a 5-foot reticulated python in a drawer while cleaning a room at the Marriott Residence Inn. Animal Control took the python to Central Mass. Aquatics Reptiles
April 5, 2017 Brooklyn, NY Police arrested a man after officers found a caiman, drugs, and a weapon inside his apartment. He was charged with possession of a prohibited wild animal. Reptiles
April 1, 2017 Sioux Falls, SD A man was fined $190 for not having his 4-month-old fire bee ball python on a leash in a park. The citation states that there were two ball pythons on the grass with “nobody holding them.” Reptiles
March 27, 2017 Livonia, MI More than 20 lizards were stolen from Stingers Exotics Reptile Specialty pet store. Seven of them, including a blue-tongued skink, a Savannah monitor, and several bearded dragons, were recovered by police. Reptiles
March 24, 2017 Dothan, AL 16 exotic birds and 65 dogs were rescued from deplorable living conditions at an illegal breeding site in a home. The two breeders were charged with more than 100 counts of animal cruelty. Other
March 22, 2017 Knoxville, TN 34 reptiles, including three endangered species, died in the course of one night due to an unknown “toxic agent.” The dead snakes included a Louisiana pine snake, Catalina Island rattlesnake, Aruba Island rattlesnake, forest cobra, and Eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Reptiles