April 2, 2013 Shelton, CT A corn snake kept at a local library was intentionally harmed and killed when someone poured a heavy-duty cleaning solvent on it. The suspect has not been caught. Reptiles
April 2, 2013 Perry, NY A Wyoming County man was charged with illegally possessing a Burmese python. The snake was removed from the residence and the man was issued an appearance ticket for court. Reptiles
March 31, 2013 Fresno, CA Two ball pythons, a red-tailed boa and a savannah monitor lizard were stolen fom the The Discovery Center in Fresno. An arrest was made in the case and the red-tailed boa and monitor lizard were found, but the remaining two reptiles have not yet been located. Reptiles
March 31, 2013 Bradenton, FL A father shot and killed the family’s pet wolf-hybrid dog after the animal bit off his 11-year old son’s finger when the boy stuck his hand into the animal’s cage. After killing the animal, the father cut open the stomach to retrieve his son’s finger, but it could not be reattached due to extensive nerve damage. Other
March 30, 2013 Baton Rouge, LA A 46-year-old Asian elephant named Judy was found dead in her enclosure by zookeepers. Officials released the cause of death as chronic gastrointestinal irritation, a side effect from arthritis treatment. Elephants
March 29, 2013 Perry, NY A seven-foot long Burmese python was removed from a man’s home who claims to have rescued the snake. The man was ticketed for possession of the snake under the Wild Animals Pet law. It is illegal to own a python in New York. Reptiles
March 29, 2013 New Orleans, LA An Eastern black and white Colobus monkey escaped from its exhibit at the Audubon Zoo. The zoo was briefly closed, but the 30-pound primate named Kivuli was safely returned to its exhibit. A review is being conducted to determine how the primate was able to escape. Primates
March 26, 2013 DeLand, FL A man was charged with tampering with physical evidence, failure to allow inspection of captive wildlife, and failure to provide his turtles with a basking platform after the man prevented officers from entering his home and tried to hide some of his reptiles. Florida Wildlife Commission officers found an alligator snapping turtle, a protected species which requires a permit to possess, inside of a washing machine along with other “legal” reptiles such as pythons, lizards and other turtles. Reptiles
March 20, 2013 Denver, CO A 17-year old howler monkey named Rose escaped from her enclosure at the Denver Zoo. Rose chewed through her steel mesh enlcosure and was seen in a planter outside her exhibit. Guests in the area were quickly escored out of the building. Zookeepers were able to lure her back into the enclosure shortly after the escape. Primates
March 19, 2013 Seattle, WA A patas monkey named Kyle was euthanized after he suffered a broken leg at the Woodland Park Zoo. The zoo was moving the primate to another enclosure. Kyle also suffered brain damage on Feb. 28 while he was being moved to a temporary enclosure. Back in 2011, his right arm was amputated due to a severe bone infection. Primates