November 7, 2000 Augusta, GA A 4-ft-long python was found on a woman’s back patio. The snake escaped from a neighboring house. Reptiles
November 4, 2000 Kingsburg, CA A “pet” bobcat roaming around a neighborhood was caught after he jumped into a garbage can near a hotel. The bobcat was thin and declawed. Small Cats
October 31, 2000 Worcester, PA Health officials linked eleven cases of E. coli infection in children to a petting zoo at Merrymead Farm. Eight children were hospitalized, and six developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney damage. Other
October 21, 2000 Seattle, WA A “pet” bobcat escaped from an exotic “pet” show after her cage slipped off a cart and the cage opened. The cat was seen roaming an Eastside neighborhood and was subsequently recaptured. Small Cats
October 21, 2000 Gambier, OH A tiger at the Siberian Tiger Foundation bit a 10-year-old boy on the leg. The boy and his father had paid to enter the compound for a “close encounter” with Siberian tigers chained to posts. The boy was treated at a local hospital and released. According to the USDA, ten instances of people being injured by tigers occurred in the previous 9-month period at this facility. Big Cats
October 19, 2000 Arlington, TX A “pet” panther on the loose and was spotted on three separate occasions throughout a residential neighborhood. Big Cats
October 12, 2000 Los Angeles, CA Evelyn, a gorilla at the Los Angeles Zoo, used overgrown honeysuckle vines to pull herself out of her enclosure and wandered the grounds for an hour until subdued by a tranquilizer dart. All patrons were evacuated and no visitors or staff were injured in the incident. Primates
October 9, 2000 Evansville, IN An emu was found shot to death on a creek bank. It was suspected that the emu was someone’s “pet.” Other
October 9, 2000 Greenville, NC A woman found a bag on the side of the road, which contained a boa constrictor. The snake was probably an abandoned “pet.” Reptiles
September 30, 2000 Rowan County, NC A black leopard cub and tiger cub escaped from their cages after the truck in which they were being transported crashed. Big Cats