A Florida man was mauled by a black leopard after paying the owner of a private animal sanctuary $150 for a 'full contact experien...
A Florida man was mauled by a black leopard after paying the owner of a private animal sanctuary $150 for a 'full contact experience' so he could rub the animal's belly.
Dwight Turner was left in need of multiple surgeries after being attacked by the animal that belongs to Michael Poggi.
Poggi claims to run an animal sanctuary in Davie, Florida. He also owns at least one Capuchin monkey and a baby alpaca.
Turner paid him $150 for an up-close experience with the female leopard, which is called Dasha. It included him rubbing her belly and taking photographs with the animal.
Owner Michael Poggi with Dasha, the black leopard, that he owns and keeps in Davie, Florida
Dwight Turner was so badly injured that his scalp was left 'hanging from his head' in the attack. His bandaged head is shown
Dwight and Michael are shown together at one of the animal enclosures. Once Turner got into the leopard's enclosure, it attacked him
Poggi's home where he also runs an 'animal sanctuary' in Davie, Florida
But once Turner got into the animal's enclosure, it pounced on him.
An incident report says his injuries were so bad that his 'scalp was hanging off his head'.
Poggi has been charged with allowing him to get close to a dangerous animal an with maintaining captive wildlife in an unsafe condition.
Local 10 in Florida reports that he is licensed to own the leopard.
According to a police report, he admitted that charging his friends to get close to the animal and putting them in harm's way was illegal.
The laws for owning exotic animals are not as strict as in other parts of the country.
It's unclear how the two men know one another.
Poggi fashions himself like an exotic animal expert online. He has posted videos on YouTube where he shows off the rest of his animals.
Poggi also has exotic birds, reptiles and snakes. On social media, he claims to be the founder of an investment group called the 'millionaires' investment group'.
Poggi with the leopard inside his home. He owns her legally
Poggi in a YouTube video with one of his reptiles . He claims to run an animal sanctuary from his home
Poggin also keeps exotic birds on the property but he is understood to have a license for them all
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