June 30, 2000 Louisville, KY A “pet” vervet, Angelica, bit her possessor on the neck and went for the jugular, leaving puncture wounds on the possessor’s neck. Primates
June 21, 2000 Washington, PA A young elephant with Circus Hope, apparently disturbed by several children playing toy horns, walked away from her trainers in the parking lot of a shopping center. Through combined efforts of the trainers, police, and the security patrol, the animal was quieted and led back to her tent. Elephants
June 15, 2000 Loxahatchee, FL A 6 week old lion cub was found partially paralyzed at the Lion Country Safari in Florida. It was speculated that she was attacked by another lion in the same enclosure. Big Cats
June 14, 2000 Houston, TX Neither “owner” wanted custody of their “pet” mountain lion after their divorce so they left the lion chained to a tree behind the house. The animal was taken to the humane society. Big Cats
June 12, 2000 Pittsburgh, PA About 20 marine animals died. 12 stingrays died after a worker slipped and damaged a sprinkler system, which leaked water into the stingrays’ saltwater tank. Five seahorses several jellyfish die died due to a malfunction in their tank. Marine
June 9, 2000 Richmondtown, NY A man found a 4-1/2-ft-long alligator in a Staten Island stream. The alligator was rescued from the stream and sent to an animal keeper in Pennsylvania. Officials believed the alligator was someone’s “pet.” Reptiles
June 8, 2000 Everett, WA Health officials linked six cases of E. coli infection in children to The Farm petting zoo. Three children were hospitalized. The bacterium apparently spread by water in a bucket in which the children washed their hands. Other
June 7, 2000 Loves Park, IL Police shut down two lanes of highway while they tried to corral ten ponies loose from the Sterling & Reid Circus. No injuries were reported to ponies or residents. Other
June 6, 2000 Greenville, OH Four boys stumbled across a dead 5-ft-long snake next to Greenville Creek. The snake was assumed to be someone’s “pet” released into the wild. Reptiles
June 5, 2000 Greenfield, WI A 22-year-old man was charged with 9 counts of animal cruelty after police seized a cougar, a black leopard, 13 chinchillas, 3 prairie dogs, 12 pythons, and other animals. The animals were living in filthy conditions. The animals were taken away and local authorities were finding homes for them. The man was ordered to pay $13,575 in damages to the apartment, $500 to the humane society, and sentenced to 4 months in a house of corrections. Big CatsReptilesOther