Search Exotic Incidents Database

A “pet” bear bit a 31-year-old man on the inside of his right forearm.

A 40-year-old elephant, Mamie, spooked by something she saw, broke free from her handlers and injured two elephant handlers. She broke through a metal gate and charged onto a wood patio. The patio was not designed to hold her weight and began to break, upsetting her more. The injured employees suffered head gashes and one had a broken rib.

An 8-year-old girl died after her family’s “pet” 10-ft-long Burmese python suffocated her. The snake was one of five “pet” snakes owned by the family. The girl’s father was charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and child endangerment; the mother was charged with child endangerment.

A black panther jumped into a neighborhood backyard and grabbed and killed the family’s dog. The panther was suspected of belonging to a former neighborseveral of whose exotic animals previously escaped.

A “pet” lion bit a woman trying to feed peaches to some bears.

A “pet” monkey bit a 6-year-old girl on the arm during a county festival. The monkey slept with the possessor’s daughter.

An 11-ft-long Burmese python, Jake, escaped from his backyard cage and was loose for two days before being recaptured. The snake remained in the custody of a reptile trapper. Authoriities were investigating the circumstances regarding the snake’s escape.

A “pet” iguana, Elvis, escaped from his backyard after he was let out to sunbathe. Elvis was found two weeks later in a tree.

An African serva cat, Mr. Bigglesworth, escaped from his home and roamed the neighborhood for a month before he was recaptured.

A “pet” Burmese python escaped from his cage and was found nearly a block away on a bench near a nursery. This was Pete’s second escape in three days. See incident of 7/31/01.