Below is the news article, followed by a copy of the bill that has been introduced into Indiana’s legislative session this year.  Their new law will prohibit any new ownership if ALL exotic cats species and their hybrids.  It bans public display of these animals with very few exceptions and bans traveling acts from setting up shop while passing through.  The Hoosiers will have better laws than Florida.  It isn’t too late to really tighten up the rules.  I have not sent out a request for our 50,000 supporters to contact you, but if you need it to justify tougher laws, just let me know.  The vast majority of the public does NOT want these animals in private hands.

January 19, 2007

WASHINGTON – Indiana State Senator Connie Sipes (D-New Albany)
introduced legislation (SB 482) this week to protect public safety by
prohibiting the private possession of certain wild and dangerous
animals in the state. People who already have these animals would be
able to keep them by getting a permit from the Department of Natural
Resources (DNR).

"Wild animals kept in untrained hands in our communities pose a
serious threat to Indiana residents," said Senator Sipes "My
constituents are very concerned about the proliferation of exotic
pets. They want action now. Wild animals belong in the wild, not in
our backyards."

"The Humane Society of the United States applauds Senator Sipes for
her leadership in protecting public safety and promoting animal
welfare," said Michael Markarian, executive vice president of The
HSUS. "It is extremely difficult to meet the needs of wild animals in
captivity. All too often, people get them as infants and when they
grow too large and aggressive to handle, there is no place for them
to go. They may end up confined to small cages, passed from owner to
owner, or let loose."

The bill targets the pet trade and substandard roadside facilities
and would have no impact on accredited zoos, circuses and research
facilities.

David Hall, Director of New Albany-Floyd County Animal Control and
Shelter, added. "This legislation will protect law enforcement
officials who can't predict what animals they might encounter today.
Placing wild animals when they come into the shelter shouldn't be the
answer; it's better if people don't get them as pets in the first
place."

The legislation builds on Indiana's regulatory structure. Currently,
a DNR permit is required to keep certain wild animals as pets in
Indiana, specifically wild cats such as lions, tigers and servals;
wolves; bears; alligators at least five feet long; and venomous
snakes. SB 482 will expand the list of regulated animals to include
large constrictor snakes, crocodiles, chimpanzees, monkeys and other
dangerous wild animals, and will prohibit private possession of these
animals. In addition, it will expand the list of regulated entities
to include those licensed by the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).

The consequences of the trade in exotic animals can be deadly. In
September, a man was killed by his pet reticulated python in laceName w:st="on">HarrisonlaceName>
laceType w:st="on">CountylaceType>. Nationwide, at least 18 people have been killed by captive
exotic animals in the past five years, and many more have been
injured.

This month a cougar escaped from a USDA-licensed facility in laceName w:st="on">ClaylaceName>
laceName w:st="on">CountylaceName>, and in 2004 a pet cougar escaped from a car after a crash in
laceName w:st="on">AllenlaceName> laceName w:st="on">CountylaceName>. A 4 ½ foot long alligator was found in a pond in
laceName w:st="on">JohnsonlaceName> laceType w:st="on">CountylaceType> in 2005, and an alligator who had become too much to
handle was dropped off at an Elkhart shelter in September.

-30-

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest
animal protection organization with nearly 10 million members and
constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active
programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response,
wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research,
equine protection, and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all
animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation,
advocacy and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in
Washington and has field representatives and offices across the
country.

http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/hsus_applaud
s_indiana_state_sen_sipes.html

2007 Indiana SB 482

http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2007/IN/IN0482.1.html

SENATE BILL No. 482

_____

DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL

Citations Affected: IC 14-8-2; IC 14-22-26.

Synopsis: Possession of exotic animals. Classifies certain animals as "prohibited animals". Provides that a person must have a permit from the department of natural resources to possess a prohibited animal. Requires that a person who possesses a prohibited animal meet certain conditions. Prohibits a person from acquiring or breeding a prohibited animal after July 1, 2007. Establishes a Class A misdemeanor for violations.

Effective: July 1, 2007.

________________________________________

________________________________________

Sipes

________________________________________

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    January 18, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources.

________________________________________

________________________________________

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Introduced

First Regular Session 115th General Assembly (2007)

PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type, additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.

Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.

Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts between statutes enacted by the 2006 Regular Session of the General Assembly.

SENATE BILL No. 482

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    A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning natural and cultural resources.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:

SOURCE: IC 14-8-2-40.5; (07)IN0482.1.1. -->     SECTION 1. IC 14-8-2-40.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 40.5. "Circus", for purposes of IC 14-22-26, has the meaning set forth in IC 14-22-26-2(1).

SOURCE: IC 14-8-2-2-209.5; (07)IN0482.1.2. -->     SECTION 2. IC 14-8-2-2-209.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 209.5. "Possess", for purposes of IC 14-22-26, has the meaning set forth in IC 14-22-26-2(2).

SOURCE: IC 14-8-2-216.5; (07)IN0482.1.3. -->     SECTION 3. IC 14-8-2-216.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 216.5. "Prohibited animal", for purposes of IC 14-22-26, has the meaning set forth in IC 14-22-26-2(3).

SOURCE: IC 14-8-2-320.5; (07)IN0482.1.4. -->     SECTION 4. IC 14-8-2-320.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 320.5. "Wildlife sanctuary", for purposes of IC 14-22-26, has the meaning set forth in

IC 14-22-26-2(4).

SOURCE: IC 14-8-2-323; (07)IN0482.1.5. -->     SECTION 5. IC 14-8-2-323 IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 323. "Zoological park", for purposes of IC 14-22-26, has the meaning set forth in IC 14-22-26-2. IC 14-22-26-2(5).

SOURCE: IC 14-22-26-1; (07)IN0482.1.6. -->     SECTION 6. IC 14-22-26-1 IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 1. This chapter does not apply to licensed commercial animal dealers, the following:

        (1) Zoological parks.

         (2) Circuses. or carnivals.

         (3) Licensed or accredited research facilities.   

         (4) Licensed or accredited educational facilities.

        (5) Veterinary hospitals or clinics operated by a licensed veterinarian.

        (6) Wildlife sanctuaries.

        (7) Rehabilitators who have been issued a state or federal wildlife rehabilitation permit.

        (8) Animal control and law enforcement officers acting under the authority of this chapter.

        (9) Organizations housing a prohibited animal at the request of the department.

        (10) Persons who transport a prohibited animal through Indiana if:

            (A) the transit time through Indiana is less than ninety-six (96) hours;

            ( the animal is not exhibited in Indiana; and

            (C) the animal is continuously confined in a container that is of sufficient strength to prevent the animal from escaping or coming into contact with the public.

SOURCE: IC 14-22-26-2; (07)IN0482.1.7. -->     SECTION 7. IC 14-22-26-2 IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 2. As used in The following definitions apply throughout this chapter:

         (1) "Circus" means an exhibitor that:

            (A) has any license required by the United States Department of Agriculture under 9 CFR 1; and

            ( offers performances by animals, clowns, and acrobats for public entertainment.

        The term does not include an exhibitor who presents a prohibited animal to the public as part of a carnival, as part of an exhibition, for educational purposes, or for entertainment purposes, including photography opportunities or other activities where the prohibited animal and a patron

are in close proximity, whether or not the person is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture under 9 CFR 1.

        (2) "Possess" means to own, harbor, or have custody or control of a prohibited animal.

        (3) "Prohibited animal" means the following:

            (A) Except for domesticated and feral cats, all species in the family Felidae, including hybrids.

            ( Except for domesticated dogs, all species in the family Canidae, including hybrids.

            (C) All species in the family Ursidae (bears).

            (D) Venomous reptiles.

            (E) Crocodilians.

            (F) Constrictor snakes that have the potential to exceed six (6) feet in length.

            (G) Komodo dragons, water monitors, and crocodile monitors.

            (H) Nonhuman primates.

            (I) Kinkajous and coatimundis.

            (J) Civet cats, genets, and binturongs.

            (K) Elephants.

            (L) Hippopotamuses.

            (M) Kangaroos.

            (N) Rhinoceroses.

            (O) Wolverines.

            (P) Any other animal classified as a prohibited animal by the department.

        (4) "Wildlife sanctuary" means a nonprofit organization that:

            (A) operates a place of refuge where abused, neglected, unwanted, impounded, abandoned, orphaned, or displaced animals are provided care for the animal's lifetime;

            ( does not conduct any commercial activity with respect to prohibited animals;

            (C) does not sell, trade, auction, lease, or loan prohibited animals or parts of a prohibited animal;

            (D) does not breed prohibited animals;

            (E) does not conduct an activity that is not inherent to the prohibited animal's nature; and

            (F) does not use the prohibited animal for entertainment purposes.

         (5) "Zoological park" means:

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            (1) (A) a permanent establishment that is a member of the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums; or

            (2) ( an agency of local government, open to and administered for the public, to provide education, conservation, and preservation of the earth's fauna.

SOURCE: IC 14-22-26-3; (07)IN0482.1.8. -->     SECTION 8. IC 14-22-26-3 IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 3. (a) Except as provided in this chapter, a person may not possess a prohibited animal.

    (b) The director may adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to require and issue the following:

        (1) A permit to possess a wild animal protected by statute or rule.

        (2) A permit to possess a wild animal that may be harmful or dangerous to plants or animals. A separate permit is required for each wild animal described in this subdivision.

         (3) A permit to possess a prohibited animal if the applicant possessed the prohibited animal on July 1, 2007.

     (c) A person who obtains a permit to possess a prohibited animal shall comply with the following requirements:

        (1) The person may not breed a prohibited animal or replace a prohibited animal.

        (2) The person shall notify the department immediately if the prohibited animal escapes.

        (3) The person shall notify the department before moving the prohibited animal or changing addresses.

        (4) The person shall not allow the prohibited animal to come into physical contact with any person other than the person possessing the animal, the designated handler, or a veterinarian administering medical examination, treatment, or care.

        (5) The person may not bring a prohibited animal to any public property or commercial or retail establishment, except to bring the animal to a licensed veterinarian or veterinarian clinic.

        (6) If a prohibited animal has not had a microchip implanted and is sedated during veterinary care for any reason, the person who possesses the animal shall have a veterinarian implant a microchip in the prohibited animal for identification purposes. Not more than thirty (30) days after the microchip is implanted, the person who possesses the animal must provide to the department and the local animal control authority the name of the microchip manufacturer

and the microchip identification number.

SOURCE: IC 14-22-26-4; (07)IN0482.1.9. -->     SECTION 9. IC 14-22-26-4 IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 4. A wild animal permit issued under this chapter:

        (1) must be in the form prescribed by the director;

        (2) may not be issued unless the director is satisfied that the permit should be issued;

        (3) has an expiration date fixed by the director; and

        (4) has a fee of ten dollars ($10).

SOURCE: IC 14-22-26-4.5; (07)IN0482.1.10. -->     SECTION 10. IC 14-22-26-4.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 4.5. (a) An applicant for a permit to possess a prohibited animal must submit an application including the following:

        (1) A one hundred dollar ($100) fee for each prohibited animal.

        (2) The name, address, and telephone number of the applicant.

        (3) A description of each prohibited animal, including the scientific name, common name, sex, age, color, weight, and any distinguishing marks or coloration that would aid in the identification of the animal.

        (4) A photograph of each prohibited animal.

        (5) The exact location where each prohibited animal is to be kept.

        (6) The name, address, and telephone number of the person from whom the applicant obtained each prohibited animal, if known.

        (7) The microchip manufacturer and microchip identification number, if a microchip has been implanted in the prohibited animal.

        (8) The name, address, and telephone number of the veterinarian who is expected to provide veterinary care to each prohibited animal.

        (9) A statement that does the following:

            (A) Contains an attestation that the applicant agrees to:

                (i) comply with the requirements under section 3(c) of this chapter; and

                (ii) meet any other requirements under this chapter within thirty (30) days after issuance of the permit.

            ( Requires the signature of the applicant, under penalty of perjury.

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    (b) The director may issue a permit to possess a prohibited animal if the director determines that the applicant has met the requirements of subsection (a).

    (c) A permit to possess a prohibited animal expires one (1) year from the date of issuance.

SOURCE: IC 14-22-26-5; (07)IN0482.1.11. -->     SECTION 11. IC 14-22-26-5 IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 5. (a) If an emergency exists, the director may summarily suspend a permit issued under this chapter. The director may summarily seize and hold an a wild or prohibited animal for which a permit is required under this chapter, pending the outcome of the proceedings under this section, if either the director believes that an emergency exists because at least one (1) of the following conditions exist:

        (1) A permit has not been issued to possess the animal.

        (2) A permit has been issued to possess the animal, but the director believes that an emergency exists because at least one (1) of the following conditions exists:

        (A) (1) The animal is in a position to harm another animal.

        ( (2) The life or health of the animal is in peril.

         (3) The animal poses a risk to public heath or safety.

    (b) The director shall seize and hold a prohibited animal, pending the outcome of the proceedings under this section, if:

        (1) the person does not have a permit to possess the prohibited animal; or

        (2) the person took possession of the prohibited animal after July 1, 2007.

    (b) (c) After suspending a permit or seizing and holding an animal under subsection (a), the department shall proceed as quickly as feasible to provide the opportunity for completed adjudicative proceedings under IC 4-21.5. The proceedings may result in the revocation, temporary suspension, or modification of the permit. Provision may be made for a final disposition with respect to the wild or prohibited animal, including confiscation of the animal. IC 4-21.5 provides the exclusive remedy available to a person aggrieved by a determination of the department under this section.

    (c) (d) The director may contract with experts in the handling of wild or prohibited animals for which a permit is required under this chapter to assist the director in seizing and holding an animal under this section. A person who seizes and holds an animal under a contract with the director is not subject to legal action arising from the seizure or holding to the same extent as if the person was an employee of the department.

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    (d) (e) The owner of an a wild or prohibited animal seized under this section is liable for the costs of seizing and holding the animal and of the proceedings under this section, including a trial, if any.

     (f) A wild or prohibited animal seized under this chapter may not be returned to the person who had possession of the animal before seizure unless:

        (1) possession of the wild or prohibited animal is not in violation of this section; and

        (2) the return of the wild or prohibited animal does not pose a risk to public health or safety.

SOURCE: IC 14-22-26-7; (07)IN0482.1.12. -->     SECTION 12. IC 14-22-26-7 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 7. (a) A prohibited animal must be confined within an enclosure of sufficient strength and design to prevent escape and to protect the animal from injury. Any cage or confinement structure must be constructed in a manner that prohibits physical contact with any person other than the person possessing the animal, the designated handler, or a veterinarian administering a medical examination, treatment, or care.

    (b) An enclosure in which a prohibited animal is held must be maintained as follows:

        (1) Drinking water must be provided daily in clean containers. Any swimming or wading pool must be cleaned as needed to ensure good water quality. The enclosure must provide adequate drainage of surface water.

        (2) Food provided must be unspoiled and uncontaminated.

        (3) Fecal and food waste must be removed from an enclosure daily and stored or disposed of in a manner that prevents noxious odors or pests. Hard floors must be scrubbed and disinfected weekly. Large pens and paddocks with dirt floors must be raked every three (3) days and the waste removed.

    (c) The department may adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 requiring specific enclosure requirements for any species of prohibited animals.

SOURCE: IC 14-22-26-8; (07)IN0482.1.13. -->     SECTION 13. IC 14-22-26-8 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007]: Sec. 8. A person who knowingly violates this chapter commits a Class A misdemeanor.

SOURCE: ; (07)IN0482.1.14. -->     SECTION 14. [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007] (a) The definitions under IC 14-22-26-2, as amended by this act, apply throughout this SECTION.

    (b) Notwithstanding IC 14-22-26, as amended by this act, a

Class II or Class III permit issued under 312 IAC 9-11 for a prohibited animal expires December 31, 2007. Notwithstanding IC 14-22-26-3, as amended by this act, a person who possesses a prohibited animal must apply for a prohibited animal permit under IC 14-22-26-3, as amended by this act, before September 1, 2007. The department must issue or deny a permit before December 31, 2007, to a person who applies under this subsection to possess a prohibited animal.

    (c) Notwithstanding IC 14-22-6-7(c), as added by this act, the department shall adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 before July 1, 2009, that provide specific safety and enclosure requirements for prohibited animal species. The requirements under this SECTION must substantially comply with the following:

        (1) For stationary (nontraveling) facilities for a prohibited animal:

            (A) The enclosed facility must be surrounded by:

                (i) a perimeter fence, or secondary barrier, at least eight (8) feet in height and a minimum of four (4) feet from the enclosure holding the animal; or

                (ii) other fencing, a building, or other protection of the enclosure where the animal is kept that is sufficient to prevent unauthorized public entry or direct physical contact between the animal and the public.

            ( A cage must be well braced and securely fastened to the floor or in the ground and use metal clamps or braces of sufficient strength for cage construction.

            (C) Entrances to the enclosure must have double safety doors, one (1) of which opens only to the inside. When unattended, the doors must remain locked at all times with chains and locks of sufficient strength to prevent the animal from breaking open the door if the animal becomes highly excited.

            (D) Enclosures must be constructed with:

                (i) a den, nest box, or other connected housing unit that can be closed off and locked with the animal inside for the safe servicing and cleaning of the open area; or

                (ii) a divided cage with a door between the two (2) compartments.

            (E) An outdoor cage must provide adequate shelter from inclement weather conditions and shade from the sun, and provide for the protection and health of the prohibited animal.

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            (F) The mesh size or distance between bars must be sufficiently small to prevent the escape of the animal being held.

            (G) Restraint by tethering may not be used as a means to hold the animal in captivity.

        (2) A prohibited animal must be kept in a cage or be housed in a building in which the strength of the walls and the restraints affixed to all windows, doors, and other means of entry or exit meet the following minimum criteria:

            (A) For species in the Canidae family:

                (i) a cage must be constructed of and be covered at the top with eleven and one-half (11 1/2) gauge steel chain link or its equivalent, with tension bars and metal clamps to prevent the escape of the animal; or

                (ii) in facilities without a top, the sides of the cage must be a minimum of nine (9) feet high with the top three (3) feet of fencing turned in at a forty-five (45) degree angle.

            ( For species in the Felidae and Ursidae families:

                (i) a cage must be constructed of and covered at the top with nine (9) gauge steel chain link or equivalent, with tension bars and metal clamps to prevent the escape of the animal; or

                (ii) except for tigers, leopards, and jaguars, in facilities without a top, the sides of the cage must be a minimum of eleven (11) feet high with the top three (3) feet of fencing turned in at a forty-five (45) degree angle. A structure that could provide a potential escape route may not be near the fence of an open top cage.

            (C) For elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses:

                (i) a cage must use construction materials that consist of steel bars, masonry block, or equivalent material. If masonry block construction is used, the holes in the blocks must be filled with steel reinforced concrete to provide sufficient strength; or

                (ii) paddocks or corrals must use restraints consisting of a barrier system of moats or other structures that are commonly accepted as suitable to restrain and contain these animals.

            (D) For poisonous animals, the following:

                (i) A cage must have small enough mesh to prevent the animal's escape or a glass enclosure sufficiently strong to prevent the animal's escape.

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                (ii) The cage or glass enclosure must be kept inside an outer cage or glass enclosure, which must be kept locked at all times.

                (iii) Only the person who possesses a permit for a prohibited animal or the person's authorized employee may open a cage or other container that contains a poisonous animal.

                (iv) Each person keeping a poisonous animal shall have in the person's possession or readily available antivenom appropriate for each species possessed.

            (E) For chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, cage construction materials must consist of steel bars, two (2) inch galvanized pipe, reinforced masonry block, or materials of equivalent strength.

            (F) For drills, mandrills, baboons, Gelada baboons, gibbons, and siamangs, cage construction materials must consist of not less than nine (9) gauge steel chain link or equivalent materials.

            (G) For alligators and crocodiles, cages must consist of fencing at least five (5) feet in height of not less than eleven and one-half (11 1/2) gauge chain link or equivalent materials.

        (3) A mobile facility may not transport a prohibited animal unless the following requirements are met:

            (A) The facility must be equipped to provide the animal with fresh air without injurious drafts and with adequate protection from the elements.

            ( The animal's traveling area must be free of engine exhaust fumes.

            (C) An animal cage must have openings for the emergency removal of the animal.

            (D) A cage must be large enough to ensure that each specimen has sufficient room to stand erect and lie naturally.

            (E) Animals transported in the same cage area must be in compatible groups.

            (F) Each mobile facility used to transport or temporarily exhibit a prohibited animal must:

                (i) be constructed of steel or case hardened aluminum of sufficient strength to prevent the escape of the animal being transported;

                (ii) be constructed in a manner to prevent contact

between the animal and the public; and

                (iii) have all doors locked when the facility is in use.

            (G) Poisonous reptiles must be transported in a strong, closely woven cloth sack that is tied or sufficiently secured and placed in a box. The box must be of a strong solid material, except for small air holes that must be screened. The box containing a poisonous reptile must be locked and prominently labeled "Danger - Poisonous Snakes" or "Danger - Poisonous Reptiles" and include the owner's name, address, telephone number, and a list of the number and species being transported.

            (H) An animal in a temporary exhibit must be housed in a cage that meets the minimum cage specifications as provided in subdivision 1 when the animal is present in any geographical location for more than ten (10) days.

            (I) Before entering Indiana, a temporary exhibitor must submit a schedule that details the exact locations and dates of shows and places where each animal will be exhibited while in Indiana. The department may deny a permit for failure to comply with this clause.

    (d) This SECTION expires July 1, 2009.

December 23, 2006 San Francisco, CA:  A 350-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana attacked her keeper at the San Francisco Zoo during feeding time Friday afternoon as dozens of visitors looked on. The keeper, who sources identified as Lori Komejan, was taken to San Francisco General Hospital.  She may lose an arm as a result of her injuries, and was in surgery Friday at San Francisco General Hospital with injuries to both arms, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said.  "My understanding is the injuries are not life-threatening, but perhaps limb-threatening," Hayes-White said. More HERE

December 22, 2006: Washington, DC:  The National Zoo was briefly shut down Friday after a clouded leopard was discovered missing from a wire-mesh enclosure.  Mook, a 5-year-old, 24-pound female, apparently escaped overnight, zoo spokesman John Gibbons said.

December 20, 2006 Searcy, AR: The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission thinks the marauding Mountain Lion is a former pet who has killed three calves, chased a girl into her home, clawed a tractor as a farmer was trying to flee and chased after a woman walking her dog. "We don't have mountain lions in Arkansas," said Keith Stephens, assistant chief of communications for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. "There are probably some feral ones, which would have been a domestic animal at one time, someone's pet. It might've gotten too wild. When they get them as kittens they are lovable and playful, but when they get to be 100 pounds, they overwhelm a person, and they just release them into the wild." Sasse agrees with Stephens, that what is being seen in Arkansas are mostly released pets stating "There was one owned by a drug dealer in Arkansas a few years ago, and he basically let it run free."

December 18, 2006 Kiev, Ukraine: (AP)  A tiger bit off the ear of a 33 year old man who fell into her enclosure at a zoo in southern Ukraine.  The tiger attacked the man, biting off his ear and scratching his neck. He was hospitalized in a serious condition. "The man, his sister and their friend drank a bottle of vodka and then came to our zoo for entertainment," Kyrychenko told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

December 11, 2006 Jacksonville, FL:  Julie Johnson’s fears were eased after a man rescued her pet bobcat, who got himself stuck in a tree a week ago and would not come down.  She was concerned that with recent freezing temperatures and no food or water, the 7 month old bobcat's life may have been in danger as he precariously clung to a small branch 80 feet above the ground.

December 7, 2006 Coral Gables, FL:  Goya Foods executive Francisco Unanue hired Corinne Oltz of Wild Animal World to bring a 62-pound cougar to entertain his 7 year old and their guests.  The party ended badly when the cougar mauled a 4-year-old guest. The Kendall-based Wild Animal World -- who has been cited in two similar past attacks -- faces a misdemeanor charge of allowing injury to the public. The girl suffered severe lacerations to her eyelid, left cheek and ear. Doctors sewed back part of her severed ear.  Georgia, the cougar, was euthanized last week as part of a rabies test.  In 1999, Oltz was cited in a similar attack, also in Coral Gables. In 2001, a Wild Animal World leopard attacked a child at a company picnic in Broward County. "That one was a fraction of an inch from going to the brain stem. That would have killed the kid instantly," remembered FFW Lt. Pat Reynolds, who is investigating the Coral Gables attack.

December 6, 2006 Beijing, China:  A leopard was shot dead by local police after escaping from its cage the Yuanyangchi Zoo. The zookeeper failed several times to shoot the leopard with a hand-made bow and anesthetic arrow before being attacked and injured by the irritated animal. The police then shot the leopard dead. The zoo did not have a valid operation license. The animal keepers were also found to lack official qualifications for raising wildlife.

December 3, 2006 Zafra, Spain: A circus tiger in Spain ripped off the left arm of a 31 year old Polish man when he moved closer to have his picture made.  Hospital officials in Zafra said the man was in a serious condition.

November 24, 2006 Ontario, Canada: The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed a lion, eight dogs, six cats, two cockatoos and one turtle from the Kerwood Wildlife Education Centre after receiving complaints about animals in distress. "The (lion's) pen was built into the wall," Grandel said. He was in his own filth and the stench of dead flesh could be smelled from the road, more than 30 metres from the home.

November 19, 2006 Nashville, TN: Wildlife Coordinator Walter Cook says the animal spotted at large near Warner Park is either an African caracal or a Eurasian lynx and not a cougar as was thought previously. Both animals are legal to own as pets without a special permit and are often turned loose when they are no longer wanted.

November 15, 2006 Gulf Breeze Zoo, FL: For the second time in less than a week, The Zoo in Gulf Breeze has had difficulties with its large cats. The compound was closed after two cougars escaped from their pens for several hours. About 30 visitors had to move to secured areas while a search was conducted. According to news reports, an opening in the animals' enclosure was big enough to allow them to slip away.  One cat was recaptured after about an hour, but the second cougar took a little longer to find. It was hit by two tranquilizer darts, but hid until an Escambia County Sheriff ’s Office helicopter used infrared cameras to find it.

November 13, 2006 Gulf Breeze, FL: Nineteen-year-old Adrienne Leopard, a zookeeper at the Zoo of Northwest Florida, was taken to a local hospital after she was injured by a leopard.  "She was too close to one of our big cats," said Doug Kemper, executive director of the zoo. The leopard snagged her sleeve with one of its claws and pulled her arm inside (the cage). "He was just being playful," Kemper said. "But even when they don't intend to hurt us, they have all the tools to do so. (Our bodies) just can’t stand up to it."  The Zoo of NW FL is located at 5701 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, Florida.

November 11, 2006 Berlin, Germany: A Persian leopard attacked and killed a zoo worker who was cleaning its cage.  The zoo director found the 23-year-old dead from a bite to the neck. A door between the stall and an outdoor cage for the Persian leopard appeared to have been accidentally left open.

November 7, 2006 Aurora, OR: A three year old male Serval escaped from Crystal Bacon’s home in the 12000 block of Fargo Road NE and remains at large. Deputies found the cat about 1:30 a.m. today, and Bacon came to get it but she told deputies the animal got away again on her way home.

November 1, 2006 Plymouth, England: The new owners (Mee Family) of a Devon wildlife park faced a serious challenge when a jaguar escaped. Big cat Sovereign found a way out of his pen and into a tigers' enclosure at the Dartmoor Wildlife Park before he was sedated by keepers. Campaign group, the Captive Animals' Protection Society (CAPS), said the escape was "not acceptable". The escape, believed to have been caused by human error, is being investigated by South Hams Council.

October 25, 2006 Coply, TWN, OH:  USDA inspector, Norma Harlan, was attacked by a white tiger during an inspection at Summit County's L&L Exotic Animal Farm owned by Lorenza Pearson. The 14 year old female tiger reached out and pulled her toward the cage, then managed to get her arm into her mouth.  Harlan was treated at Akron General Medical Center.  She previously had inspected the farm on Oct. 12 and was concerned about two tigers and one lion cub.  In 1983, Pearson's 2-year-old son was killed by a Bengal tiger. In 1997, his 2-year-old grandson was attacked. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has cited Pearson for 900 violations. Witnesses described Pearson's farm as largely unsanitary, lacking in federal safety measures and nutritional standards, and extremely lax in veterinary record-keeping regulations.

October 16, 2006 Fleetwood, NC: Susan Thomas received severe injuries at the New River Zoo when she crossed the safety barrier fence and put her arm into a leopard's cage.  Owner Keith Stroud, after a short struggle, was able to get the leopard to release Thomas' arm. The recommendation from the state was that the leopard be euthanized which has already occurred. "This is a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. My hands were tied after the state made their recommendation and I had no choice. I was unable to save the cat's life" said the Animal Control officer. Susan Thomas told authorities that the zoo owner, Keith Stroud was with her and encouraged her to cross the barrier and pet the leopard.  As a result, the zoo has been closed pending a full investigation. 

October 9, 2006 Red Rock, NV: The owner of a bobcat that mauled three dogs in Red Rock has been found.  The escaped bobcat's name is Katrina, and she is thirteen months old. The Antelope Valley owner told county workers she was tied up on a leash Thursday night, and somehow got away. One dog, Ace, was put down after suffering life-threatening injuries.

October 8, 2006 LaFollette (Wate) TN: Police arrested Jerome Love on 87 counts of animal cruelty after discovering nearly a hundred pets in his yard. Officials describe the animals living conditions as deplorable. An African serval was confiscated as part of the exotic menagerie.

October 7, 2006 Los Angeles,CA:  Tiger Escapes Handler Before Photo Shoot in Hesperia. The tiger got loose at the Cinema Safari Zoo, a facility at which animals are trained for film and educational programs. Officials said a handler was preparing the tiger for a photo shoot when it tried to attack a donkey. The tiger was shot with a tranquilizer and officials surrounded the animal. Officials from the Hesperia Zoo repeatedly declined to comment,
stating that the zoo is private property and the media is not welcome.

October 4, 2006 Beijing, China: A circus lion startled by the audience at a show in eastern China leapt a two meter high barrier and plunged into the crowd, injuring three people including a woman who suffered a miscarriage. The lion was performing for a small roaming circus. Frightened by noise from the 200-strong audience, it lunged into the panicked crush of spectators. "One pregnant woman was crushed and suffered a miscarriage from the shock," the report said. "Because the lion was rented, it didn't trust the trainers," it added. Circus staff and police chased the escaped lion as it jumped walls and rooftops, but nets and anesthetic dart guns failed to catch it, and police shot the animal dead.

September 27, 2006 Las Vegas Zoo, NV: A sick and starving mountain lion was dropped off at the Las Vegas Zoo. The 50 lb, declawed, neutered cub was obviously a house pet, but wore out his welcome when he started to get bigger. The zoo director says the one year old was dropped off in the middle of the night, found in a wire cage at the front entrance. Staff members say he'd clearly been starved and was severely malnourished.

September 22, 2006 Alaska Hwy B.C.: Police and conservation officials caught a Siberian tiger that escaped from a truck during an accident in northeastern B.C. The accident left one person in hospital with serious injuries.  The crash occurred near a former exotic animal petting zoo, where the tiger continues to live. The feline was being taken from his home when the accident occurred.

September 13, 2006 Hillsborough County, FL Balm: Lancelot Kollmann stumbled inside a cage with a 250-pound tiger named Rula. He paid in blood. The last in a long line of lion tamers escaped the cage with cuts on his left shoulder and a gash on his lip that took stitches to close. Kollmann's family has been in traveling circuses for more than 200 years. His grandfather was a lion tamer. His father and uncles owned big cats.  He is licensed by the state of Florida and USDA to exhibit exotic animals, including two leopards, four jaguars, one elephant, five lions and 14 tigers.

September 8, 2006 Queensland Zoo, Australia:  Tim Husband locked 30 staff into a lodge on the Out of Africa Lion and Animal Reserve while he threw rocks at Goldie the 2 year old lion and shouted at him until the big cat eventually crawled back through a hole in his enclosure at the zoo that was caused by a grass cutter. 

September 7, 2006 Davenport, FL: Darryl Atkinson, founder of the Horseshoe Creek Wildlife Foundation was arrested on charges of keeping a Bengal tiger in a cage that is too small and unsafe, said a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrest report. Since 2003, Atkinson has been cited more than 20 times for not having large enough cages for animals kept on the animal farm west of Davenport. He was cited an additional four times in December 2005 on the same charges, the wildlife commission said. The citations usually result in a fine, but Atkinson faces 11 first-degree misdemeanors because of the numerous previous charges he has racked up over the years.

August 26, 2006 Chippewa Falls, WI: A bobcat was killed at the Irvine Park Zoo in Chippewa Falls after it wandered into the cougar cage.  A keeper had left the door open, but officials also say that the antiquated cages were partly to blame.

August 22, 2006 Tampa, FL Lowry Park Zoo: An open cage at Lowry Park Zoo led to Sumatran tiger named Enshalla being shot to death by the zoo's chief executive officer Lex Salisbury.  The CEO had recently fired a long term keeper who was considered too concerned about the animals' welfare in favor of hiring staff who would not speak up for the animals.  A keeper with only two weeks of training with tigers was left by himself in charge.  AZA, USDA and the FWCC all acknowledged that there is no standardized training required. To view a list of all of the incidents reported in the press about Lowry Park Zoo click HERE

August 22, 2006 Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough's Riverview Zoo: For the second time in a year a bobcat has escaped an open cage at the zoo.

July 18, 2006 Saratoga County Fair, NY:  A white tiger owned by the the Ashville Game Farm scratched a 4-year-old Milton boy at the fairgrounds. The boy suffered a gash about an inch long and needed 14 stitches to close the wound. He was sitting on a bench positioned in front of Calcutta the 2-year-old white tiger on display as part of the backdrop for pictures of kids holding exotic animals.  The game farm's owner, Jeffrey W. Ash, of Lick Springs Road, was charged with a misdemeanor and was cited for a violation after the incident, according to the DEC.  The Environmental Conservation Police charged Ash with failing to exercise due care in safeguarding the public from attack by a wild animal that caused bodily harm. The charge carries a punishment of up to one year in jail and a $500 fine. Ash was also ticketed for violating a condition of a DEC permit that states he must maintain the tiger in a cage that is not in contact with humans. The violation is punishable by up to 15 days in jail and a fine of $250.

July 12, 2006 Dublin Zoo, Ireland: A teenage girl has been savaged by a rare tiger in a zoo. The 19-year-old put her arm through a wire mesh fence where two Amur Siberian tigers were resting. Parents and children looked on in horror as the tiger lunged at her and grabbed her arm trying to pull her through the fence. She was taken to James Connolly Memorial Hospital where her condition was described as stable.

July 2, 2006 Moscow Circus:  Doctors used nearly 100 stitches on Artur Bagdasarov for slash and puncture wounds when a tiger named Caesar attacked during a performance. "The tiger attacked him and started to maul him.  I rushed in and shot (a stun gun) into his jaws, and he pulled back." said a co worker. "This tiger is just four years old and he's been in our troupe since birth, so no one ever expected this kind of event to happen.  But, if we were to shoot every tiger that attacks us, there wouldn't be any remaining," his sister said.  Read more HERE

June 26, 2006 Atlanta, GA: An African serval escaped from its pen at a Buckhead home about a week ago. The wildcat weighs about 30 pounds and belongs to a licensed breeder, who has taped "lost serval cat" fliers to mailboxes in the area.  The cat, named Webbie, is declawed, according to fliers posted by her owner, Fred Boyajian, around the Mount Paran neighborhood. Boyajian is the same breeder who last year had a lynx escape from his Buckhead property. That wildcat was recaptured after a two-week period.

June 21, 2006 Kaufman, Texas: A tiger chased down and mauled Donnie Roberts at Zoo Dynamics when a 300 lb Bengal tiger jumped a fence.  He says the tiger threw him down on his hip and got on his neck.  Roberts says he thought the tiger would kill him, but managed to stay calm. The tiger ripped off his ear and left claw marks over his body. Roberts says he believes he has about two thousand stitches.

June 5, 2006 Fayetteville, NC: Animal control officer, Christine Gallagher, found herself dealing with a serval, a cheetah look-alike native to East Africa pacing nervously in a neighborhood. The big cat was rounded up and taken to Cumberland County Animal Shelter.

June 4, Kiev, Ukraine: A lion killed a man who climbed into its enclosure at the Kiev zoo.  He used a rope to climb down into an enclosure with four lions. Witnesses said the man told them that he believed God would not allow the lions to hurt him.

May 16, 2006 Little Rock, AR:  Michael Haney was forced to turn over his pet mountain lion to an animal shelter by the Game & Fish Department because Haney refused to apply for a permit to keep her.  Haney says it would have never hurt anyone. He even has pictures of his daughter playing with the lion. "When she was little, I couldn't keep her out of the bed with my kid," says Haney. "She's going to Gainesville, Fla.," he says. "I've got to have a kidney transplant and I don't have anywhere to keep her anymore."

May 14, 2006 White Hills, AZ: Jonathan Kraft runs Keepers of the Wild animal sanctuary. He told long-time friend Linda Faso that two of his tigers -- Zeus and Nico -- attacked a woman this month sending her into surgery at University Medical Center.  USDA spokesman Darby Holladay stated, "There is an open investigation against Keepers of the Wild." Holladay also said the agency started investigating this week. "Suspension of license. Revocation of license or civil penalty or monetary fine," he continued could result.  

May 7, 2006 Johannesburg, Sun City, South Africa: Tiger nearly rips arm off 5 year old girl at Predator Park. Helen Catherine Grant, 5, from Rustenburg, was injured after she had tried to stroke the tiger while on a family outing to the park. The tiger got hold of her hand and then her arm. Her uncle had to kick the tiger, Ruby, in the face before she let go of the girl. The arm was attached only by a piece of skin on the upper arm by the time the tiger let go. Last Friday doctors were worried that the arm was too cold, and they feared that veins might have collapsed. "The arm is making good process and the surgery was successful. We don't know yet if follow-up surgery would be necessary and how long she will have to remain in hospital," said Grant.

May 7, 2006 Bulgaria:  A tiger has managed to escape its cell in the Varna zoo, on the Black Sea coast. Soon after that, however, the beast was caught and fetched back to its house, local media informed. The Varna zoo is located literally on the premises of the unique Sea Garden of the city, where hundreds of families take regularly a weekend walk.

April 21, 2006 Shanghai, India:  Lions at the Shanghai Zoo scratched a man who was teasing them by sticking his leg through the bars and wiggling it around. He admitted to having done so daily for three years before getting caught.

April 20, 2006 Gonzales County, TX:  After a 7 year battle to rescue 2 tigers and 11 bears from living in transport cages on David Richtman's farm authorities were finally able to seize the animals under cruelty charges and failure to register and place them in accredited sanctuaries.  The tigers were living in 41/2 x 8 foot enclosures for the past 9 years and the bears could not even stand up in their cages.  Read more...

April 6, 2006 Duxbury (15 Mi. E. of Sandstone) MN:  Cindi Gamble was mauled to death by one of her tigers at the USDA inspected Center for Endangered Cats that she had co owned with Craig Wagner who was wanted for animal abuse in WI.  Wagner now runs Great Cats World Park in southern Oregon. The sheriff said one of the drop doors was apparently left open, leaving Gamble exposed to the tiger. Investigators said the tiger was so out of control that they had to kill the cat to get to the body. Vet reports revealed that the 10 year old tiger only weighed 260 lbs; half of what it should because it was starving. Read more...

March 19, 2006 Palatka, FL: The Putnam County Fair will still open Monday even though a fair worker was bitten by a tiger in an exhibit there the day before.  Josip Marcan's traveling side show of white and tabby tigers has had a fair worker mauled. According to reports a tendon was severed and the worker was rushed to Shands hospital.  The state's Fish and Wildlife Commission inspects every traveling exotic exhibit like this one. This particular show passed a state review just two weeks ago, Officer Kelley said. That is precisely the problem.  Read more...

March 25, 2006 Santa Barbara, CA: State of California orders Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch to be shut down and now Jackson is selling off his exotic animals, including elephants, tigers, orangutans, crocodile, and giraffes. A later report states that Jackson's tigers went to Shambala but that he never paid for their care. (The Daily Record)

March 9, 2006 Point Breeze, PA:  A 42 pound African Serval named Mr. Bigglesworth was confiscated from Mark Nernberg after his second escape.  The bottle raised pet had been loose for over a month back in August (eating what?) and was returned to his owner with the understanding that the owner aquire a permit to keep him.  At the time of his second reported escape the owner had failed to obtain a permit and so the animal is being held pending the outcome of the case. To see video of people who advocate the keeping of dangerous animals as pets, while downplaying the escapes and risks involved, visit this link CLICK HERE

March 4, 2006 VA: Marc Bradley, of the Snowflake community, was charged with importing and possessing an undesirable and predatory animal.  The lion is 7 months old and is still considered a cub, but it weighs about 100 pounds and "is big enough to put a hurtin' on somebody," said Julia Dixon, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  The cub was confiscated pending trial.

February 26, 2006 Moscow Zoo: Girl loses Finger Stroking “Cuddly” Leopard.  A snow leopard in the Moscow Zoo bit a finger off a girl’s hand and ate it when she tried to pat the animal that she thought looked cuddly. A 19-year-old student, Elena, was walking in the zoo with her friend, Moskovsky Komsomolets daily reported on Sunday. Passing the big cats section, she was delighted to see the beautiful snow leopard, or ounce. The animal looked so peaceful that Elena decided to touch it through the cage and it instantly clawed hold of her and would not let go.  Elena managed to free her hand, but half of her right-hand middle finger remained in the show leopard’s mouth. The animal swallowed its prey in a second. The girl’s friend called an ambulance, and the doctors took the victim to the hospital and attended to her wounds. In a day she was able to leave hospital. http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/02/26/fingeroff.shtml

February 25, 2006 Devon Zoo, UK: A Devon zoo maintenance worker had his hand punctured by a lion while trying to mend a fence. Indu, a two-year-old Asiatic, bit the worker's hand as he replaced a fence separating the lions from tigers at Paignton Zoo. ''A first aider was able to help until paramedics arrived.'' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/4735920.stm

February 15, 2006 Birmingham Zoo, AL: A worker at the Birmingham Zoo is being treated for scalp wounds Wednesday after being attacked by a lion. Dr. William Foster, director of the zoo, said Melissa Wright was taken to UAB Hospital. Foster said she was conscious and talking. The attack happened as zoo workers fed animals and moved them from their overnight holding area to their outdoor exhibit area. http://www.nbc13.com/news/7085199/detail.html#

February 1, 2006 Willmar, MN:  The 80-pound female cougar was spotted Tuesday morning near Kennedy Elementary School. Police and local animal professionals tracked the cat around the neighborhood for two hours, shot it with four tranquilizers and finally corralled and caged it around 10 a.m. Since then, nobody has come forward to claim the cougar, but officials believe it isn't wild. "This is not a releasable animal," said Dr. John Baillie with the Wildcat Sanctuary. "This is not a wild animal that strayed there. This is someone's pet."

January 10, 2006 Wellington Zoo, New Zealand: An unlocked door allowed two lions to get into an enclosure at Wellington Zoo while their keeper was laying out their food. When keeper Bob Bennett tripped trying to escape, they mauled him as patrons watched. He suffered 20 puncture wounds to his arms, back, shoulders and neck, and spent three days in hospital after the 20-minute attack. "I remember those canines sinking into my shoulder, and I thought my days were over," said Bennett.

January 6, 2006 Center Hill, FL: Girl mauled when cougar escapes at Robert Baudy's Savage Kingdom. A volunteer was mauled by a mountain lion when he escaped after she left the door open.  It is alleged that alcohol and drug abuse is to blame for the continued decline of Savage Kingdom and that the facility's owner tried to keep the press and authorities from knowing about the incident by treating the mauled woman with expired antibiotics.  A tree worker managed to get ropes around the escaped cat's throat and he was strangled to death.  The woman ended up in the hospital and Florida's Wildlife Conservation Commission investigated the matter.  More about Savage Kingdom.

December 18, 2005 Zoo tiger kills man who was fleeing arrest. Gerber said the man was naked when he was found. His clothes had been ripped from his body and the shreds were found in the enclosure too. The man fell about 10m into the tigers' den. Marks indicated that the body was dragged. More...

December 13, 2005 NJ: Bergen County Zoo's escaped ocelot is recaptured.  Zookeepers believe she had been wandering in and around the zoo's property, feasting on field mice and squirrels for two weeks. Last week's snow may have cut off the food supply, forcing the ocelot back toward home, said Tim Gunther, the zoo director.

December 9, 2005 Foley, AL: Joe Higginbotham, owner of Kids Country Zoo said the 2-year-old male tiger became unruly so he killed him. The tiger's body has been send to a taxidermist for mounting and will be on display here at the zoo," Higginbotham told the Mobile Register.

December 1, 2005 Greensboro, NC: Sabre's owner, Megan Morris, could be cited by animal control if the loose Serval turns out to be Sabre again. The feline would then be given to a humane society or wildlife refuge or euthanized if no appropriate home can be found.

November 30, 2005 Delmont, SD: A declawed mountain lion was shot by a hunter.  That indicates the cat probably was raised in captivity. (duh) "The hunter claimed it just stood there about 10 feet away from him," he said. Vandel said it might be difficult to find out where the cat came from because the GF&P does not regulate captive wild animals. "A lot of times, unless there are some local ordinances, they may exist as somebody's pets - we don't find out about them for a long time," he said.

November 19, 2005 Greenwich, NY: Jeff Ash, owner of the Ashville Game Farm was cited by the DEC in 2004 after a wolf escaped from the zoo and was never found. Ash pleaded guilty to a charge that he didn't provide proper housing for the animal. After Tahan, a 300-pound golden tabby tiger, broke out of her cage the DEC issued Ash a ticket for the same violation. Tahan was sedated with a tranquilizer dart about two miles away from the game farm after she broke through the roof of her cage. PETA sent a letter to the USDA calling for the agency to investigate Ash referring to USDA reports from 2002 and 2003, in which PETA called Ash a "chronic violator of the Animal Welfare Act" because of accusations he failed to maintain clean cages, allowed water troughs to freeze over and failed to keep accurate records.

November 11, 2005 Lisbon: A circus tiger tore off a woman's arm when she put her hand into its cage to stroke it, a newspaper reported. The 24-year-old Romanian woman worked at the Circo Atlas circus but was off-duty when the attack occurred.  Her arm could not be re attached.

October 23, 2005 Knox County, OH: Siberian Tiger Bites Boy at road side zoo. A 10-year-old Columbus-area boy got too close to a Siberian tiger that bit him Knox County Sheriff David Barber said. Ethan Newman of 1011 Colony Way in Perry Township was bitten on the leg in a fenced compound at the Siberian Tiger Foundation off Deal Road, Barber said. The park is 2 miles southeast of Gambier. The foundation is owned by David and Diana Cziraky who charge customers for a "close encounter" in which they enter a compound with Siberian tigers chained to posts, the sheriff said. The boy and his father, Robert, were in the compound with a trainer for a close encounter when the incident occurred.

October 7, 2005 Deluth, MN: A Lake Superior Zoo's keeper was bitten by a 400-pound Siberian tiger was hospitalized with puncture wounds. The zookeeper was bitten Thursday while he helped move the tiger to its cage from the Lake Superior Zoo's animal care center. "If you've got a tiger attached to your arm, (30 seconds) is a long time. "Getting a tiger to release when it's semiconscious is quite challenging. The jaws go into a lock position. He's not about to let go.'' The zookeeper who was hospitalized was being held overnight at St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth . Doctors cleaned out his wounds and were monitoring him for nerve damage, Janis said.

September 28, 2005 Alfred, Canada: A tiger was found wandering down the highway. The zoo is trying to figure out how the tiger was able to leave its enclosure. The family-owned and operated Papanack Zoo has been breeding exotic animals and birds since the early 1980s.

September 23, 2005 Shelbyville, IN: DNR is poised to seize 24 tigers, 6 leopards and 1 mountain lion from Dennis Hill's Flatrock Exotics because the conditions they reported as being horrific.  Dennis Hill was the breeder of Shere Khan.  The tigers were found living in a six-inch deep mixture of mud, feces and urine.   Free Online

September 16, 2005 Dallas, TX The 4-month-old male tiger was found darting in and out of traffic near the Leary exit on Interstate 30. How the cub ended up on the interstate was a mystery until Thursday. Horn said the tiger's owner was driving through Bowie County on his way to the Dallas area when the animal escaped from a kennel in the back of the owner's truck. "The tiger jumped out while the truck was moving." The owners passed through Bowie County about 1:30 a.m. Monday and did not realize the big cat was missing until they reached Dallas.

September 14, 2005 San Diego, CA: Officials with the San Diego Zoo had some anxious moments Wednesday when one of its more exotic cats got out of its enclosure. A caracal, a reddish brown wildcat native to Southwest Asia and East Africa, escaped when a zookeeper was cleaning its cage and a hose got caught in gate. Zoo officials told NBC 7/39 that animal-care staff then surrounded the caracal with nets, cages and tranquilizer guns. About 45 minutes after it escaped, a zoo worker grabbed the caracal and it was quickly returned to its cage.

September 5, 2005 Coal Valley, IL: A male lion cub born in June at the Niabi Zoo here died Saturday after a door to his exhibit area malfunctioned and fell on him. The cub was half-way between the indoor and outdoor portions of his exhibit area, he said, when a pulley on the 80-pound door that separates the areas broke, causing the door to fall on him.  "We are not sure why it broke. We are investigating," he said.

August 22, 2005 Zimbabwe, Africa: A 50 year old Japanese diplomat was visiting a 49 acres Lion and Cheetah wildlife park when she was attacked and killed by a hungry lion. 

August 18, 2005 Mound Valley, KS: (AP) - A Siberian tiger attacked and killed a teenage girl who was posing for photos at a family-run animal facility called Lost Creek Animal Sanctuary.  Free Online  Update: 11/18/06 Lost Creek Operators Doug and Keith Billingsly cannot engage in any activity for which a license under the Animal Welfare Act is required, until 2011 according to the ruling from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.  That includes, breeding and selling, exhibiting or any public use of the big cats. In its 10-page decision issued Nov. 3, the Agriculture Department cited several violations of the Animal Welfare Act at Lost Creek, including allowing the public to have direct contact and pose for photographs with adult tigers. It also did not establish and maintain a program of adequate veterinary care to prevent and control injuries, the ruling stated. The ruling says there were not adequate methods of tranquilization available at the facility. Doug Billingsly's nephew and authorities had to shoot and kill Shakka after the animal attacked Hilderbrand. The ruling also alleges that the Billingslys did not allow officials with the Agriculture Department's animal inspection service to inspect the operation on four separate occasions from September 2004 to January 2005, months before the Siberian tiger attacked and killed Hilderbrand. Under the terms of the probation, the Billingslys can be fined $12,600 each if they violate the Animal Welfare Act again. They also were ordered to get rid of all animals subject to the act.

August 15, 2005 Clackamas, OR: Sheriff's deputies shot and killed a pet lynx after it pounced on a six-year-old girl and began clawing her head.  Deputies said the owner reported the pet missing Friday to a Clackamas veterinary clinic, which contacted the sheriff's office.  Attempts to trap the animal had failed. Free Online

August 6, 2005 Mayfield, NY: A baby Siberian tiger was confiscated by NY DEC from Steve Salton. The cub was purchased in OH for $1000.00 and declawed and spayed but the owner was in violation of NY license laws and the state is waiting for the cub to heal before placing her in a sanctuary.

August 1, 2005 Brit Spaugh Zoo, KS: Bart the cougar walked through an open door on his cage in the North American section of the zoo and came face to face with a family.

July 23, 2005 Africa: The owner of the Addo Croc and Lion Ranch, Lourens van Straaten died after being mauled by a lion that he had bottle raised. Van Straaten, a taxidermist by trade, was given a suspended fine in 1994 for trading in rhino horn. He was also at the centre of controversy in 2004 when allegations were made about the condition of his lions and whether he had the necessary "performing animal" permits for the public handling of lion cubs. Van Straaten is not the first Eastern Cape lion breeder to fall victim to his charges. In 1996, Shumba Safaris' owner, JP Kleinhans, was mauled to death by one of his lions at his lodge near Patensie.

July 21, 2005 Pelican Rapids, MN: Dr. Roy Alexander Cordy is in violation of his order to remove all of the exotic animals from his farm and the tiger will be confiscated and killed if he doesn't find a place for the cat.  Cordy, 43, pleaded guilty last year to depriving an animal on his farm of necessary food, water and shelter.

July 6, 2005 East London: Lion Park A bottle raised yearling tiger attempted to rip out the jugular of a 17 year old girl visiting him at the zoo. She was stabilised at the scene and taken to St Dominic's Hospital where she underwent a two-hour operation to repair the damage to her throat. Free online ...

June 27, 2005 Punta Gorda, FL:  Charlotte County gives Lions, Tigers and Bears 6 months to leave or get rid of their lions, tigers and bears for violation zoning laws.  Free online...

June 25, 2005 Little Falls, MN: AP- A lion and tiger owned by auto mechanic Chuck Mock bolted from their cage and pounced on a 10-year-old boy leaving Russell LaLa of Royalton, Minn., fighting for his life at Hennepin County Medical Center. The child is now a quadriplegic and on a respirator due to the severe injuries to his spinal cord and brain.  Free Online...

June 22, 2005 TX: Two rare white tiger cubs seized from a man trying to drive them into Mexico have found a new home in Wise County.

June 21, 2005 OH: Heaven's Corner owner Kord McGuire recalls the day a run-in with the 200-pound cougar almost cost him his life. "I was transferring Zeb, who I bottle-fed when he was a baby, to my traveling van to go to an educational program for some Cub Scouts in Camden . Suddenly Zeb leaped up and took my arm in his mouth. He also bit me on the side, narrowly missing my kidney. As I fought him off, he went for my foot, shredding the brand new Nike tennis shoe I was wearing. I finally escaped by climbing on top of the cage."

June 14, 2005 Conway, AR: An unemployed sheet metal worker, facing an order to appear in court and a possible fine, says he'll go to jail before he gives up his aging pet cougar because of his violations of the exotic pet regulations.

June 11, 2005 Lima, OH: Perry Township resident Bradley Craft, 33, was attacked June 11 by his 3-year-old, 160-pound pet mountain lion, Niko. Health Commissioner David Rosebrock said Craft grabbed the cat's tail to prevent it from attacking his mother. Niko then turned on Craft, who was building an enclosure for the exotic pet at the time. Craft was bitten in the leg by the animal, Ellis said, adding that he had treated other animal attack victims at his practice. One of those lost a foot because of a pet bear.

June 11, 2005 Underwood, MN: Acrhangel Lion killed after escaping from cage in Otter Tail County. Attempts to contact the owner Mrs. Mears, were unsuccessful. On May 28th she was given 10 days to find homes for the 9 tigers and the lions in the basement her boyfriend David Piccirillo had left behind when he took tiger cubs to Florida for photo ops. 

June 7, 2005 Beaverton, OR:  Deborah Walding admitted buying and selling of endangered ocelots as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. As part of her guilty plea, Walding agreed to pay a $25,000 fine, cooperate with investigators probing animal trafficking and, in a unique twist, to speak publicly about her conviction at two upcoming national exotic cat conferences.

June 6, 2005 Johnson City, TN: A bobcat escaped after his owner died and is being sent to a wildlife rehabilitator in Unicoi county.

June 2, 2005 Princeton: "I could feel the bones cracking and the warm blood in my eye," Blakney recalled. "After some time, I decided he finally has me and I should play dead before I pass out. He remembers that the right side of his lower jaw was in about 17 pieces and that a doctor told him it wouldn't work to try putting them back together. So instead, surgeons made a metal jaw. Blakney quickly pointed out that he didn't feel the attack was the mountain lion's fault. "He was just playing out his instinct and was a very good lion through all my years with him," "I raised him on a bottle from the age of six weeks said Blakney.  He had the lion killed so that he didn't have to have rabies shots and had the mate killed as well so that she wouldn't hurt anyone, despite the fact that she was not involved.  He sold their pelts to his neighbor. More...

June 1, 2005 Long Island, NY: A Long Island man accused of chaining and beating his wife as two leopards crouched nearby had created a zoological horror show at his home. In the house were stuffed endangered animals and rotting animal carcasses. Suffolk police busted Anthony Barone on Sunday for the May 20 assault on Anastasia Barone, 33, and in the process discovered the leopards in a dank, feces-laden room. In an unplugged freezer investigators found the rotting carcass of a lynx. Anastasia Barone told authorities the lynx mauled the couple's 8-year-old son last winter. After the attack, Anthony Barone chained up the lynx, until it strangled to death. Barone was in the process of buying two black leopards, describes himself as a "big-cat trainer, animal lover". More...

June 1, 2005 Salisbury, NC: Rowan County Park told 6NEWS a veteran employee was feeding the animals when he was bit on the left leg by one of the park's new bobcats. The worker was treated and released from the hospital.

May 28, 2005 Underwood, MN: Underwood woman must get rid of 9 tigers and lion after three people were bitten by cats at her animal farm called Arcangel Wildlife. Mears has 10 days to find homes for the cats or the county will confiscate them.

May 19, 2005 Omaha, NE: A serval on the loose has found a new home. The big cat was captured Wednesday at 59th and Franklin.

April 30, 2005 Minneapolis, MN: Tiger attack victim remains in hospital after being attacked by the animals, whose owner, Grant Oly, was in jail on charges he failed to register them. In 2003, a tiger at the site was euthanized after it bit a 31-year-old pregnant woman.

April 25, 2005 Lacey, WA: Serval lost and hybrid found. Donny Roder reported loosing his 40 lb Serval and authorities nabbed a Serval hybrid while looking for the lost pet, but this cat was larger and no owner found.

April 23, 2005 Coon Rapids, MN: A Serval was discovered in the rafters of a garage and taken to the Humane Society. No owner has come forward.

April 21, 2005 Branson, MO: Animal control officials are trying to track a black panther that apparently has been roaming southwest Missouri . McRoy suspects the panther is someone's pet. Wildlife biologists confirmed from the video that the panther is not native to the region, McRoy said.

April 18, 2005   Jinan, China: A tiger forced out of its pen and mauled a zoo worker to death Sunday in Laizhou city of east China's Shandong Province, zoo officials and hospital sources confirmed on Monday.

April 12, 2005 China: A desperate father fought in vain to save his eight-year-old son from being mauled to death by a tiger at a zoo in Changde, Central China's Hunan Province . Mei Changhua climbed over a 3 foot-high barrier to get a better view of the big cats, when a tiger attacked him through the bars of its cage. Despite his father's efforts, Mei bled to death before reaching hospital.

April 12, 2005 Thackery, IL: A 4-year-old McLeansboro girl is recuperating from injuries sustained Saturday evening when she was bitten by an adult cougar. The animal's owner, Terry Biggerstaff, 58, shot and killed the animal. Holly Higgins was taken to Hamilton Memorial Hospital where she was treated for a broken arm and lacerations to her hand and arm. Her parents said it took numerous stitches to close the wounds. An emergency room physician asked Holly if she was allergic to anything and she replied, "nothing but big cats".

March 10, 2005 KIEV:  An Amur tiger at Kiev zoo mauled a keeper to death who mistakenly walked into her enclosure.

Mar. 6, 2005 Dent, MN: (AP) Stephanie Truesdell said she was petting a large tiger through the bars of a