Search Exotic Incidents Database

Shadow, a zebra kept as a pet in a private home in Callahan, Florida, escaped from her enclosure and was shot and killed by her owner. Authorities say that her owner did not have the proper license to own the animal.

A woman was attacked by a jaguar and sustained injuries at Wildlife World Zoo in Phoenix, Arizona after jumping a barrier to get closer to the jaguar’s cage in order to take a selfie with the animal. Although the facility claims that its fencing and barriers meet USDA requirements, this is the second attack involving the jaguar; last year, another zoo visitor was severely scratched after getting too close to the animal’s cage. The jaguar will not be euthanized or otherwise punished for the attack.

A North Carolina animal sanctuary states that someone broke into the facility and kidnapped three of “the most wonderful and rare of native species on the property,” three North American River Otters. The trio were taken under cover of darkness on Feb. 25 from the North Carolina Animal Ed.ventures Sanctuary, said the sanctuary in a press release. The site in Coats, NC is about 40 miles south of Raleigh. Sanctuary Director Cory Freeman said in a release that workers found the entrance gate and animal enclosure gate open, indicating it was a theft rather than an escape.

A Georgia wildlife rescue is on the hunt for a bear cub that escaped from a fenced-in enclosure and managed to elude police. Lorraine Conklin of the Nepenthic Society wild animal rescue in Thomasville said the bear, which is about 8-10 weeks old and resembles a small puppy, was brought in Wednesday after being rescued near the Georgia-South Carolina state line. Conklin said the bear was missing from a fenced-in area Thursday morning, without any signs of digging or damage to the fence. A Thomasville Police Department K9 unit searched the area, but was unable to locate the baby bear. The Nepenthic Society said the bear’s break-out was the first animal escape at the rescue in 38 years.

Two Ground Hornbills escaped from the Honolulu Zoo on Sunday after a tree branch crashed onto their enclosure. Although they are called Ground Hornbills, they do fly. One was caught, while the second Hornbill is still on the loose.

As temperatures plunged below zero, a zebra’s back hooves got caught in a fence surrounding an Indiana farm on which he was being kept as a pet. Despite the extreme weather conditions, no one bothered to check on the welfare of this animal. Unable to free himself, the zebra panicked, gulping in so much icy cold air that it crystallized in his lungs, killing him. In a heartbreaking photo taken by an Indiana resident, a second zebra lies beside the body of his trapped, dead friend. Along with these two zebras, their unidentified owners also have pet kangaroos.

An orangutan at the Toledo zoo bites a zoo volunteer and detaches her thumb. The volunteer reached through a barrier and the orangutan bit her arm. The Toledo zoo says the volunteer’s injuries were not life-threatening and that she was treated at a hospital and that the incident took place Saturday in an area not accessible to visitors while the orangutans were being fed.

A toddler fall into the rhino enclosure at Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida during a “close encounter” attraction. The toddler sustained minor scrapes and none of the rhinos were injured.

A 22 year old zoo worker was killed by a lion who escaped his pen while the zoo staff was cleaning his enclosure. Authorities attempted to tranquilize the lion, but failed, and the animal was killed.

SHALLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in a coastal North Carolina town say a repairman won’t face charges after he fatally shot a pet monkey that escaped and attacked a woman. On Friday evening a snow monkey escaped a backyard cage and “went bananas,” biting a woman and scratching her arms and legs.

Police say the monkey then ran across the street and banged on a neighbor’s glass door. The repairman approached the animal, which then ran toward him. Detective Sgt. John Holman says the repairman killed it with his small handgun. The man had a concealed carry permit and was protecting the neighborhood. Holman says the monkey’s owner was properly licensed to keep it and other exotic pets.