April 20, 2015 Wimauma, FL Austin Hatfield, 18, captured a water moccasin illegally and decided to keep the venomous snake as a pet. He kept the snake in a pillow case, and two days later was bitten on the face. Hatfield was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and required several antivenom treatments to survive. Family members killed the snake. Reptiles
April 15, 2015 Seattle, WA A 6-month-old lion cub escaped from his exhibit on the same day that the zoo’s two elephants (Chai and Bamboo) were being loaded for shipment to Oklahoma City. A zookeeper left a door open by mistake, allowing the male cub to enter a service area in the feline building, which is inaccessible to the public. Big Cats
April 13, 2015 Cleveland, OH A 2-year old boy suffered a broken leg and other minor injuries when he fell into a cheetah exhibit after being dangled over the rail by his parents. Both parents quickly jumped into the exhibit to rescue the boy, then were rescued themselves. The parents are facing child endangerment charges. Big Cats
April 13, 2015 Cincinnati, OH A white lion named Sunshine died while under anesthesia for a vasectomy at the Cincinnati Zoo. Big Cats
April 13, 2015 Springfield, TN A 6-year old boy found a large, deceased yellow boa constrictor (or albino python) which measured over 10 feet long at Garner Park. It is not known how the snake ended up at the park as they are not native to Tennessee. Reptiles
April 13, 2015 Columbus, OH A lion seized from the Tiger Ridge sanctuary was euthanized by the Dept of Agriculture after experiencing complications from his arthritis. Big Cats
April 7, 2015 Orland, FL A woman visiting from Dubai attempted to bring her pet 1-week old baby Bengal cat into Walt Disney World as a service pet. She was denied entrance until she surrendered her pet to the Central Florida Zoo until her stay at Disney World was over. Media mistakenly identified her cat as a Bengal tiger. Small Cats
April 6, 2015 Beaufort, SC A man faces fines from the county for putting his personal collection of 18 large cats including lions and tigers on display and endangering the public, as well as the cats. Big Cats
April 6, 2015 Jasper County, TX A group of zebras escaped from a farm and ran wild on Highway 96 for at least half an hour. Police were able to contain the animals. Other
April 4, 2015 White Plains, NY A fennec fox escaped while being walked. Fennec foxes are the world’s smallest fox species and are native to Northern Africa. Other