Search Exotic Incidents Database

A “pet” chimp, Moe, went on a 3-hour rampage after escaping from his cage. Moe bit four people (two police officers, an Animal Control officer and another person). One of the police officers underwent surgery after an infection developed in his hand as a result of the bite.

Gracie, a chimpanzee at the Los Angeles Zoo, found a handhold in the sheer gray rock that surrounded her exhibit. She scaled the wall and got into a planted area, then jumped back into her enclosure after only five minutes.

A 16-year-old girl discovered a cobra on her back porch as she was letting the family dog out. The cobra slithered out from under a piece of furniture and hissed and struck at the girl, who escaped into her house. The girl’s mother phoned the police. However, the police failed to dispatch an officer or an animal warden to the scene. The girl’s father killed the cobra. The “owner” was unknown.

A tiger mauled a woman tourist during a photo shoot at Marine World, seriously injuring her and scratching the trainer who came to her aid.

A 15-ft-long python was found under a truck parked at Benham’s Caterers and Restaurant. Dayton firefighters were called and placed the python in a trash can. The snake was someone’s “pet.” Since the “owner” was unknown, the Humane Society of Greater Dayton found a man willing to take the snake.

A Bengal tiger with the Bridgeport Nature Center mauled a 5-year-old boy at a North Dakota State Fair photo shoot.

A 6-ft-long python was found in a woman’s fishpond. Police captured the snake and placed him in their custody. The “owner” remained unknown.

An 8-ft-long boa constrictor escaped and was seen slithering down a street in a residential area. Police officers found the snake curled underneath a car. The snake belonged to someone in the neighborhood. The boa constrictor was recaptured and returned to its tank.

Two elephants at the Henry Vilas Zoo injured a zookeeper by picking him up, throwing him to the ground, and kneeling on him. One of the elephants had attacked zookeepers twice before.

A 3-year-old girl and a 5-year-old girl were severely bitten by their grandfather’s “pet” wolf hybrid. The 3-year-old was in intensive care for six nights. The grandfather was sentenced to six days in jail and 100 hours of community service for keeping a dangerous dog.