#exotic-animals

#exotic-animals

A Ventura County animal sanctuary has been ordered to pay more than $50,000 in penalties and other fees for housing exotic animals without permits. The sanctuary, Born to Be Free in Frazier Park, was found to be in possession of African lions, leopards, warthogs, a European brown bear, a serval, a fishing cat, a leopard-tiger hybrid, a lion-tiger hybrid and a wolf-dog hybrid, the Ventura County district attorney's office said in a news release.

The serval did not want to go into her crate. The spotted cat's name was Naomi, she had just been weighed, and now it was time to do as she was told. "C'mon - in your crate," urged Thomas Barber, a student at Moorpark College. Naomi, held on a leash by student Trinity Astilla, was the picture of lithe, feline elegance as she slunk around a dusty enclosure, briefly hopping atop her crate - but not into it.

The restaurant Wanhui in Taiyuan offers a four-course menu for 1,192 yuan, including time with lion cubs and other exotic animals. Photos show customers cuddling with the cubs and providing guides for safety.

A driver reported what appeared to be a baby tiger on Highway 166, but officers found a dead hawk instead, highlighting a curious case of mistaken identity.