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The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation shared a message against dumping exotic species in Oklahoma waters after a boy caught a fish closely related to piranhas in a neighborhood pond.(Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation) OKLAHOMA (KXII) - The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation shared a message against dumping exotic species in Oklahoma waters after a boy caught a fish closely related to piranhas in a neighborhood pond. According to the department’s social media pages, young fisher Charlie Clinton caught a Pacu, which is native to South America. The department says that this species has been caught in a few fisheries...

A boy was in for a surprise when he hooked a piranha-like fish in an Oklahoma pond — a long way from its home. The pacu fish, recently caught by Charlie Clinton in a neighborhood pond, is native to South America and is considered an invasive species. So what’s it doing in Oklahoma?

Pet piranha bites off toddler's fingertip MAINE TOWNSHIP, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) - When a northwest suburban mother discovered her 18-month-old daughter's finger had been bitten, she assumed the family pit bull was responsible. But Cook County sheriff's police said the culprit was actually another household pet: a piranha, Pioneer Press is reporting. Police said one of the child's fingertips was bitten off on the night of June 19 inside the family's home in the Bay Colony subdivision in unincorporated Maine Township. Police said the child's mother reported she heard her daughter crying and noticed the toddler's finger was bleeding,...

Owners of exotic pets streamed into the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's amnesty day Saturday, turning over animals that have gotten too large, unruly or were just unwanted. The program was established so owners could give pets to the state rather than turn them loose in Florida's woods and swamps. Biologists point to the Everglades, where a growing population of Burmese pythons and other exotic snakes has taken hold. Wildlife officials say the population began when python owners let loose their pets after they got too big to handle...."Mostly they were reptiles," she said. "Snakes, lizards and turtles.".....

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Five months after a privately owned chimpanzee escaped his home and mauled a Stamford woman, Connecticut officials are giving owners of exotic pets a day of amnesty to turn in the illegally-owned animals at the Bridgeport Zoo. The state Department of Environmental Protection's first exotic amnesty day ends at 3 p.m. Saturday. They're hoping that people surrender anything from large felines to primates and exotic reptiles and amphibians. Officials say they'll ask about the animals' diets, medical history and temperament, but owners won't be asked their names and won't be prosecuted for owning illegal animals. It's illegal...

On Thursday, January 26, 2006, the Athens Township Board will meet to address the dilemma posed by the Wildcat Sanctuary of Isanti County, Minnesota. Executive Director Tammy Quist launched the facility some five years ago to further the mission of providing a permanent, nonprofit home for abused, neglected, or discarded exotic wildcats. The sanctuary, which covers a 10-acre expanse, currently supports a population of 20 cats, ranging in size from the serval to the Bengal tiger that is at the crux of the zoning dispute. Ms. Quist returned to her home state of Minnesota, determined to found an organization that...

Japan is moving toward requiring owners of potentially dangerous animals, such as crocodiles and pythons, to have microchips implanted in their pets in case the animals get loose, officials said on Thursday. The move follows a recent wave of incidents around the nation in which animals such as pythons, crocodiles and giant salamanders have been found wandering loose, frequently on the streets of densely populated cities.

Monkeypox virus underscores danger of having exotic pets Two new cases of illness confirmed By MARILYNN MARCHIONE and SARAH CARR mmarchione@journalsentinel.com Last Updated: June 8, 2003 The human monkeypox outbreak, likely spread by prairie dogs via imported African rats, is the latest example of a danger that health officials have warned of for years: Exotic pets often bring exotic health threats. Deadly infections, unusual injuries and people getting bored with or overwhelmed by owning such pets and releasing them into the wild have been reported, health and agriculture officials say. Importing super-exotic pets into the United States, such as Gambian...

<p>The fifth-grade boy had scratches and bite marks and was falling asleep in class.</p> <p>School officials couldn't believe the reason he gave: the baby tiger that slept in his bedroom was keeping him up at night.</p> <p>Sure enough, officers found a malnourished 35-pound tiger cub, whom the boy called Anna, chewing on a piece of chicken in his family's home in Albert Lea.</p>

<p>Close encounters between people and wild animals are on the increase, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, as are reports of people removing those animals from the woods, fields and roadsides to keep them as pets.</p> <p>Catching and keeping deer, bears, raccoons, opossums, foxes, rabbits, squirrels and other infant, adult or injured wildlife is not only illegal but also dangerous to the health of animals and people.</p>