August 14, 2003 St. Louis, MO Halala, a female cheetah at the St. Louis Zoo, used vines to climb halfway up the 10-foot moat wall and leap over it to freedom. After only 20 minutes, Halala was herded back into her enclosure without incident. Big Cats
August 12, 2003 Town and Country, FL A man who was bitten six times on his forearm and wrist by his “pet” mamba was rushed to the hospital. The man also possessed 26 poisonous snakes and 4 small crocodiles in his mobile home where four small children also resided. Reptiles
August 6, 2003 Chicago, IL A “pet” rhesus monkey escaped from her home after she opened the cage latch and window and climbed out. She was subsequently recaptured in a stairwell. Primates
August 5, 2003 Milwaukee, WI During a Siberian tiger act at UniverSoul Circus, the tigers seemed unwilling to obey commands from their trainer, the only person in the cage with them. The tigers do perform some tricks, along with some errant behavior and several threatening swipes at the trainer. Big Cats
August 3, 2003 Dayton, OH A firefighter was bitten on his left hand by his “pet” rhino viper snake and rushed to the hospital where he died the next day. Reptiles
August 3, 2003 Wilkinsburg, PA A 4-ft-long alligator was recaptured in a residential yard after he had escaped. Reptiles
July 29, 2003 Otis, MA Six wolf-hybrids escaped from their home and were spotted roaming nearby neighborhoods. Two of the animals were recaptured. Other
July 29, 2003 Osage County, OK A motorist spotted an adult and two small monkeys along Oklahoma Route 123. Primates