Search Exotic Incidents Database

A “pet” lion escaped from her enclosure after being released during an apparent burglary. The lion chased a youth into a convenience store and then jumped into a pickup truck bed carrying another youth. In 1987, the lion bit a man repeatedly.

A small alligator was spotted in Mountain Lake in San Francisco. A long search by San Francisco Zoo officials, assisted by a professional alligator hunter from Florida, ended with the animal’s capture. It was placed on exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo before being flown to a Louisiana wildlife sanctuary and released.

A family’s 9-ft-long “pet” python, Calena, wrapped around a woman’s stomach and bit her buttocks. In order to free the woman, paramedics used a hacksaw to remove the snake’s head. The woman was 8 months pregnant and sought medical attention from her family physician. The python has not been kept in a cage.

Hattie, an Asian elephant on loan with Circus Vargas, died while in transit back to her owners, the Hawthorn Corp. Hattie was last made to perform on 8/3/96, the next day her legs gave way beneath her as she was being unloaded. She died 8/6/96 inside a transport trailer. Another Hawthorn elephant died 3 days earlier of tuberculosis.

A 47 year old Asian elephant named Joyce died soon after a dental procedure involving anesthesia. Her autopsy revealed an advanced case of tuberculosis. Joyce was used for performances until the evening that she died. Another Hawthorn elephant died 3 days later.

A Bengal tiger from the Cincinnati Zoo mauled the 7-year-old daughter of the zoo education director as the animal was about to appear on a television show with the girl’s father. The girl suffered injuries to her face and scalp.

A 4-ft-long red-tailed boa constrictor, Casey, escaped from her cage through a small hole. The snake was missing and presumed to be slithering through the neighborhood. This is the third time Casey had escaped in four years.

A worker at the Orange County Fair scaled a safety fence and put his arm into the cage of three Bengal tigers with the Commerford Petting Zoo. A female tiger bit down on the man’s arm, causing lacerations to his hand and wrist.

A 7-week-old boy nearly died after contracting an intestinal infection from his family’s “pet” iguana. The boy was hospitalized for 12 days. He suffered fever, nausea, and severe diarrhea after becoming infected with Salmonella bacteria. The iguana was later returned to the pet store where it had been purchased.

Four infant girls contracted an intestinal infection from household snakes and iguanas. The four girls were sick in early 1996, but the hospital was only recently able to determine that the illnesses were contracted from reptiles. One of the girls contracted Salmonella gastroenteritis after a “pet” snake was in the family bathtub. Salmonella has killed infants in households where reptiles were “pets.”