January 25, 2016 Miami, FL A 99-year-old woman was awakened by a kinkajou named “Banana” touching her face. A family friend captured the animal and took her to a veterinary hospital, where her owner, Ray Fernandez, claimed her. Fernandez had boarded Banana with some relatives while having some work done to his house. The animal escaped and was loose for about a week. Other
January 25, 2016 Lawrenceburg, TN Officers searching a home for drugs found a red tail boa constrictor loose inside the house. An officer grabbed it and placed it in a tote bag. The snake was later adopted by someone else. Reptiles
January 22, 2016 Woodbine, MD A raccoon, a wild turkey, two alligators, a boa constrictor and several birds were among dozens of sick or dead animals found by police on a rehabilitation farm. Eleven animal cruelty charges were filed against the owners. ReptilesOther
January 21, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Firefighters rescued a Los Angeles Zoo employee who fell into a gorilla enclosure while landscaping the gorilla habitat. The exhibit’s apes were secured in their sleeping quarters. Primates
January 20, 2016 Charlestown, IN A red kangaroo died after zookeepers failed to obtain veterinary care for him, even though they knew he was ill. They also failed to have a necropsy performed to determine the cause of death. Other
January 20, 2016 Charlestown, IN Zookeepers failed to obtain veterinary care for three otters who died. Keepers also failed to have necropsies performed to determine the cause of death. Other
January 18, 2016 Orlando, FL A 33-year-old Commerson’s dolphin named Betsy died at Seaworld’s Aquatica water park in Orlando. SeaWorld had relocated Betsy from its San Diego theme park the previous week. Marine
January 8, 2016 Portland, OR A man stole a 2-foot-long black pastel ball python from a pet store by stuffing it down his pants. The snake was brought back to the store five days later in a bucket, unharmed. The man who returned the snake said he bought the python from another man, but returned it to the store after seeing news coverage about the theft. Reptiles
January 1, 2016 Granbury, TX Police officers found the zebra roaming just south of Granbury. They caught it once, but it escaped and then they caught it again. The animal was unharmed, and its owner contacted the sheriff’s office to pick it up. Other
March 17, 2015 Webster, MA A Massachusetts couple had their marmoset confiscated after purchasing her from Florida. Primates