Buzz
A personal zoo is a fantasy many children hold dear, and some adults never outgrow this passion, as demonstrated by the numerous private animal collections uncovered globally by authorities. While owning a private zoo can sometimes be legal, it often isn't. This list explores ten extraordinary instances of individuals keeping exotic animals for their personal enjoyment.
10. 199th St, New York
In September 2009, authorities conducted a raid on a modest home in Queens, New York, anticipating the discovery of illegal drugs. Instead, they encountered an astonishing sight. The garage was filled with cages containing a monitor lizard, a baby python, and two iguanas. Additionally, the home housed a baby caiman, four geckos, two marmosets, three tarantulas, seven adult pitbulls, one pitbull puppy, and a bulldog. The Center for Animal Care & Control was called in, and while the residence was in poor condition, the animals appeared to be relatively well cared for.
9. A Modern-Day Noah’s Ark
Tamir Sapir, a former cab driver who became a New York real estate billionaire, faced an unexpected situation in late 2007 when his luxury yacht was inspected by US Customs and Border Protection. Authorities confiscated around $85,000 worth of items, including bar stools covered in python and anaconda skins, seven carved elephant tusks, hides from jaguars, tigers, and zebras, a python-skin cigarette holder, an elephant-hide-wrapped cigar box, a children’s bed lined with zebra skin, and a fully preserved lion. Sapir faced 29 charges for violating the Endangered Species Act and was fined $150,000. His lawyer clarified that the items were not smuggled but were part of the yacht’s interior design, serving as his 'home away from home.'
8. Polish/Ukrainian Border
During a routine inspection of a passenger bus traveling from Poland to Ukraine, border officials discovered prohibited items in the cargo hold. Hidden inside various pieces of luggage were two miniature kangaroos, five miniature ponies (each about 50-60cm tall), and eleven pheasants. One of the ponies appeared to be pregnant. The bus driver denied any involvement in illegal activities, stating that the luggage was handed to him with instructions to deliver it to an unnamed individual in Lviv, Ukraine.
7. Janesville, Wisconsin
Concerned residents alerted the police and the Rock County Humane Society after noticing a dog tied to a second-floor balcony on Memorial Avenue. Upon investigating the home, authorities found six chickens, thirteen rabbits, two ball pythons, one cat, a snapping turtle, multiple cages filled with mice and rats, and, as reported, 'one native snake of unknown origin.' The turtle and snake were released into the wild, while the other animals were taken in by the Humane Society. It is suspected that the owners intended to sell the animals, except for the rats and mice, which were used as food for the pythons.
6. Germantown, Wisconsin
Authorities were alerted to a strong odor emanating from a suburban Wisconsin home owned by Jamie Verburgt. State Conservation Warden William Mitchell investigated the property and discovered nearly 200 animals, including alligators, scorpions, 70 ducks, snakes, rats, turtles, toads, and carnivorous beetles. In a nearby garage, Mitchell found decaying roadkill used to feed the animals, along with frozen carcasses of raccoons, rabbits, opossums, and squirrels in the owner’s freezer. This case echoed a similar incident four years prior, involving Verburgt’s boyfriend, John Walters, who was charged with animal cruelty. During a raid on his home, police confiscated a female cougar, a female leopard, a silver-tailed fox, a monitor lizard, two caracals, a coatimundi, a chinchilla, and a reticulated python.
5. Apache Junction, Arizona
Nearly 185 animals were discovered living in appalling conditions at a residence in Apache Junction, Arizona. Neighbors, suspecting animal neglect, repeatedly contacted the police until action was taken. The animals included 47 dogs, 96 rabbits, 18 chickens, 13 goats, six horses, two cats, a pot-bellied pig, an African parrot, and a cockatiel. In a muddy area on the property, police found an undernourished and neglected horse, which was later euthanized due to its poor condition.
4. Bari, Italy
During a routine traffic stop, authorities were shocked to find over 1,000 animals crammed into a hatchback. The collection included 1,000 terrapins, 216 budgies, 300 white mice, 150 hamsters, 30 Japanese squirrels, and six chameleons. The driver, Francesco Lombardo, confessed to smuggling the animals across Europe with plans to sell them.
3. Hacienda Napoles
This renowned 7.7-square-mile estate, owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar, housed one of the largest private menageries ever discovered. During the peak of his power in the 1980s, Escobar imported rare and exotic animals from across the globe. His collection featured giraffes, ostriches, elephants, ponies, rare antelopes, hippopotamuses, zebras, buffalos, camels, lions, an ocelot, and numerous exotic bird species. Following his death in 1993, most animals were taken over by the Colombian government, except for two hippos that escaped and were later killed by authorities. Today, Hacienda Napoles operates as an official zoo and a popular tourist destination.
2. Noah’s Ark, China
In 2007, a deserted cargo ship was found stranded off Qingzhou Island, China, after losing engine power. The vessel contained up to 5,000 of the world’s rarest animals, crammed into small wooden crates. Among them were 31 pangolins, 2,720 monitor lizards, 44 leatherback turtles, 1,130 Brazilian turtles, 21 bear paws wrapped in newspaper, and what appeared to be an Asian Giant turtle in a photo. The animals were rescued and taken to the Guangdong Wild Animal Protection Centre.
1. MJ’s Neverland
No discussion of private menageries would be complete without mentioning Michael Jackson’s collection of extraordinary animals. Following Jackson’s passing in September, all the animals were relocated to new homes. Notable among them were Bubbles the chimpanzee (now at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchulu), Bengal tigers Thriller and Sabu (at Shambala in California), and Rikki the African parrot (with Freddie Hancock at the Voices of the Wild Foundation). The collection also included pythons, giraffes, anacondas, and two black caimans. The remaining animals are currently housed at a wildlife reserve in Oklahoma but will soon be transferred to a facility in Arizona.
