August 25, 2009 Glennwood Springs, CO Owners of a self-storage facility emptied several units searching for what a man described as a python snake resting on boxes inside his unit. The snake was not found. Authorities believed it could have been a bull snake and not a python. Reptiles
August 21, 2009 Leggett, TX A Texas man was required to relinquish two of his three Asian elephants — 40-year-old Jewel and 39-year-old Tina. The man would continue to keep the remaining elephant, Boo. Tina and Jewel were deemed to be dangerously underweight. The man agreed to pay a $3,000 fine in exchange for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dropping complaints against him for not having proper purchasing permits for the pair. Tina and Jewel were transported to an undisclosed zoo. Elephants
August 20, 2009 Hollywood, FL A cable TV worker was bitten by a snake that officials feared might be an exotic snake. The Miami-Dade Venom Response Unit needed to know the species before administering antivenin. Reptiles
August 20, 2009 Denver, CO A 12-year-old gorilla named Charlie pushed through the wire mesh of his interior holding area into another service area for about three minutes before walking back to his enclosure. Primates
August 15, 2009 Lake Elsinore, CA An 11-ft-long, 50-lb Burmese python was recaptured after she escaped her holding case. Reptiles
August 15, 2009 Orlando, FL Police found the bodies of an elderly man and woman and dozens of live animals inside an Orlando home. Among the animals confiscated were one spider monkey and three capuchin monkeys. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, along with Animal Control, was assisting with the animals. Primates
August 11, 2009 Manhattan, NY Animals officials confiscated a 4-ft-long boa constrictor from a Manhattan laudromat. She was curled up between bags of clothes. The boa was taken to a reptile sanctuary. Reptiles
August 10, 2009 Ashwaubenon, WI An African serval cat escaped his possessor’s home and roamed free. The cat, Taabu, was said to be friendly but might hiss if approached, said the possessor. A reward was offered for his safe return. **UPDATE 08/13/09 The missing serval cat was found in an Ashwaubenon warehouse and was safely returned to his possessor who was returning to his home in Anchorage, AK. Small Cats
August 9, 2009 Hamden, CT Residents captured an 18-inch-long alligator roaming their property. The alligator was transferred to a reptile rescuer in Avon. (The article noted that the Department of Environmental Protection held an amnesty day for illegal, exotic animals at Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport. The DEP took in 135 animals, including 8 alligators and caimans.) Reptiles
August 7, 2009 Boutte, LA A 38-year-old male bicyclist was stopped for carrying an alligator on his shoulders. The man fled the scene, leaving behind his bicyle and gator. He was later arrested and booked on several charges, including cruelty to animals by abandonment. The alligator was released into a marsh near Bayou Gauch. Reptiles