September 28, 2007 Columbia, MS A rhesus macque that bit two children on 09/23/07 remained at large while authorities continued to search for the woman with whom the macque had been observed around the area. See followup 11/06/07. Primates
September 22, 2007 Los Angeles, CA A man was charged and indicted for stealing three endangered iguanas from a nature preserve in Fihi and smuggling them into the U.S. in his prosthetic leg. Reptiles
September 20, 2007 Surprise, AZ Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies arrested a pet shop owner after investigators found numerous dead animals in the store. Detectives found 33 dead animals. The owner told detectives he was just lazy and never went back when he ran into financial difficulty before the grand opening of the pet shop. One hundred sixty reptiles, amphibians, rodents, and invertebrates went without food, water or care for three weeks. ReptilesOther
September 17, 2007 Calhan, CO According to a citation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, two tigers named Eragon and Sitara had visible injuries. Eragon had noticeable swelling and was limping on the left front leg, while Sitara had several puncture wounds on one leg and an open would on another leg. Nick Sculac, owner of the zoo, failed to report the injuries or seek veterinary treatment. Big Cats
September 11, 2007 Winston-Salem, NC State wildlife officials ordered two small alligators destroyed after they were captured near the Graylyn Conference Center. A District wildlife biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission said that he didn’t like seeing the animals destroyed, but officials had to look to the greater good of the state’s wildlife populations. Reptiles
September 5, 2007 Ingalls, IN Little Man, an African serval cat who escaped from his possessor on 08/30/07, was sold according to his possessor because DNR regulations were too stringent for him to meet. Small Cats
September 5, 2007 Vallejo, CA A 2-year-old male giraffe, Makonnen, died in a barn fire at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. He was inside his stall for the night, which did not have access to an outside yard. Fortunately, two female giraffes were able to escape the fire to the adjacent corral and survive unharmed. Fire officials later determined that the fire resulted from a malfunctioning electrical outlet. Other
September 2, 2007 Nashville, TN A gibbon at the Nashville Zoo, named Dixon, escaped from his habitat by jumping onto the shoulders of a keeper who was leaving the exhibit, and then leaping from there to a wooded area outside the enclosure. Zoo visitors were hurried to safety and remained protected until Dixon could be coaxed back into his habitat. He was then kept in “lockdown” while zookeepers determined how to prevent a repeat escape. Primates
August 31, 2007 Ingalls, IN A family captured a stray African serval cat after he escaped from his possessor on 08/31/07. The local sheriff returned the cat to his possessor but was checking with the DNR to confirm that the possessor was properly licensed. Small Cats
August 25, 2007 Whitelake Township, MI Animal Control offiers captured a 2-ft-long cayman after passersby noticed him crossing a road. The cayman was transferred to the Michigan Humane Soceity in Rochester Hills. White Lake Township police continued to investigate where the reptile came from. Reptiles