July 29, 2008 San Francisco, CA A 9-year-old female giraffe named Gezi died at the San Francisco Zoo. Cause of death was not confirmed but was believed to be from cardiac and respiratory arrest during a physical exam. During her time at the zoo she gave birth to two giraffes, one of which was given to a facility in Illinois (the other remained at the San Francisco Zoo). Normal life span for giraffes is 15-20 years in the wild and several years longer in captivity. Other
July 26, 2008 Anderson, IN Canoeists found a 3-ft-long alligator in the White River. A state conservation officer captured the alligator and turned him over to a pet store in Anderson. Reptiles
July 23, 2008 Dayton, OH Officials captured a 3-ft-long ball python. Outreach for Animals cared for the snake until she was placed with a reptile rescue operation. Reptiles
July 23, 2008 Omaha, NE One hundred seventeen cats, a raccoon, and a rabbit were found living in a feces- and urine-covered house. Humane society workers removed the animals after police caught the home’s owner stealing cat food. Society officials reported that the woman previously had more than 200 cats taken from her home. The woman faced possible citations for cruelty to animals and other charges. Other
July 23, 2008 Dayton, OH Officials confiscated a bear cub found tied to a fence. The bear was probably someone’s “pet.” Dayton Humane Society took in the bear cub. Bears
July 17, 2008 Las Vegas, NV A bank patron entered a local bank and his “pet” monkey was invited inside by a bank employee. The monkey ran rampant and caused quite a stir. The monkey’s possessor called the monkey by name, retrieved him, and left the bank. No injuries were reported. Primates
July 16, 2008 Taylor , TX Two or possibly three caimans were spotted on the opposite side of the possessor’s property. Authorities were able to capture two of the caimans but one remained missing and was spotted nearby another neighbor’s man-made pond. Reptiles
July 14, 2008 Colorado Springs, CO Reports of an African lion at large spurred a helicopter search in El Paso County. A grainy cell phone camera photo showed what appeared to be a lion. Big Cats
July 12, 2008 Palo Alto, CA Palo Alto officials hired an animal tracker to find the mountain lion that attacked a man over the weekend. The 50-year-old hiker was not injured but narrowly escaped with his life when the cat leaped on him from behind. Big Cats
July 10, 2008 Middlesboro, KY The pastor of a Middlesboro church was among 10 people arrested by wildlife officers in a crackdown on venomous snakes. The officers confiscated more than 100 snakes, many of them deadly, and an alligator, in an undercover sting. The animals were placed with the Kentucky Reptile Zoo in Slade. Reptiles