January 17, 2009 Ingram, TX Kimra, a 300-lb Bengal tiger, escaped from his enclosure but was humanely tranquilized and kept by authorities until his possessor improved the integrity of Kimra’s compound. The possessor is legally licensed to keep the tiger. Big Cats
January 14, 2009 Baltimore, MD Charley, a 28-year-old chimpanzee, died at the Maryland Zoo. Keepers found Charley dead. It is believed he died overnight without showing any signs of illness. Charley is the third adult chimp to die at the zoo in the past two years. Primates
January 13, 2009 Clearwater, FL Florida game officials attempted to capture a rhesus macaque monkey sighted in a tree near the intersection of two highways. Primates
January 9, 2009 Buffalo, NY 19-year-old Simba, an African male lion at the Buffalo Zoo, was euthanized due to continued deteriorating health conditions. Big Cats
January 8, 2009 Orange County, TX Four exotic hybrid wolves abandoned in Orange County after Hurricane Ike were placed in a special section of the Austin Zoo. They joined another female hybrid wolf already at the zoo. Other
January 1, 2009 Queens, NY A panicked “owner” called police after a 7-ft-long python escaped his enclosure in an apartment. Police recaptured the snake and turned it over to Animal Care and Control. The possessor was charged with unlawful possession of a wild animal. Reptiles
December 7, 2008 Hamilton Twp., NJ A man performing as Santa Claus was bitten by a bobcat-type cat during a photo event at a local PetSmart store. Santa suffered bites to the wrist and hand and had to undergo a series of rabies shots as the possessor of the cat disappeared after the incident. Small Cats
August 17, 2008 Kalamazoo, MI Police confiscated two Columbian red-tailed boa constrictors from two local residents. A city ordinance prohibits most residents from keeping “exotic” animals, except under certain conditions. The snakes were turned over to Kalamazoo County Animal Control. Reptiles
June 7, 2008 Lincoln, NE Zoo Nebraska lost its federal license and tried to sell or give away its exotic animals. The zoo was closed since September 2005 when three chimpanzees escaped and had to be shot. BearsBig CatsOther
April 24, 2008 Lake Placid, NY Residents reported seeing a very large black leopard or similar cat near Schaefer Road in Keene. It was believed that the cat either escaped from a local resident or was turned loose. Big Cats