August 5, 2009 Jefferson City, MO A 3-ft-long alligator was discovered beneath a vehicle in Jefferson City. The possessor was fined $50 but claimed someone tried to steal his alligator and that is why it was found on the street. Reptiles
August 3, 2009 Mendon, MA A 4-year-old girl was kicked in the face by a deer that was startled by a young boy at Southwick Zoo’s Deer Forest. The girl suffered a bruise to her right cheek. She was treated at a local hospital and was listed in stable condition. Other
July 31, 2009 Wayne Township, OH A “pet” Gila monster bit a local man, sending him to the hospital. Reports indicated he was in fair condition at Miami Valley Hospital. Sheriff’s officials reported that the lizard belonged to a woman present at the time of the bite but they did not know whether she was living there or just visiting. Reptiles
July 30, 2009 Las Vegas, NV Picasso, a 400-lb white tiger, was found in a backyard in a far northwest Las Vegas neighborhood. His possessor was able to corner him and return him to his cage. The man said he was walking the tiger as part of his recovery from a recent surgery when the tiger caught a rabbit in his sight and took chase. Big Cats
July 27, 2009 Big Bear City, CA Firefighters responding to a 911 call found an unidenified man in his vehicle Highway 38 east of Onxy Summit. The man was airlifted to Loma Linda University for treatment of a bite from his poisonous “pet” Mexican Beaded Lizard. Reptiles
July 24, 2009 Los Angeles, CA Asali, a 26-year-old female Masai giraffe, died after complications involving a stillborn calf. Asali had lived at the Los Angeles Zoo most of her life and had had 12 calves since 1988. Other
July 24, 2009 Portsmouth, MA An escapted 8-ft-long python snake, missing briefly from the Island Park section of town, was discovered inside her possessor’s home. Reptiles
July 22, 2009 Lawrence, KS Pittsburgh State football player Joe Windscheffel suffered a compound fracture to his forearm as a result of a zebra attack as he attempted to move four zebras away from a fence he was painting on a farm. Other
July 19, 2009 Hingham, MA Authorities spent three hours searching for an escaped 10-ft-long boa constrictor on the property of a man. The snake was recaptured. Charges against the possessor were pending. Reptiles
July 19, 2009 Calhan, CO According to a citation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, zookeepers failed to obtain veterinary care for a tiger (Sundar) and a cougar (Risky) with clear medical problems, and instead had a volunteer euthanize the two animals. Big Cats