Partial List of Recent Incidents Involving Injuries and/or Attacks by Exotic Animals in the United States — January 2005 to present

December 2, 2006: Akron, OH. A 4-year-old boy’s finger was severed by a bear while visiting the Tuscarawas Wildlife Ranch. (WEWS-TV)

November 18, 2006: Coral Gables, FL. A 4-year-old girl is attacked by a cougar at a birthday party and suffers severe lacerations to her eyelid and left cheek and a severed ear. The declawed cougar was one of several exotic animals brought in for a birthday party by Corinne Oltz of ‘Wild Animal World.’ Oltz has been cited by police for two similar attacks in the past. The 62-pound cougar was euthanized. (Miami Herald)

November 12, 2006: Ellenburg, NY. A 43-year-old man was mauled to death by a deer he had been raising as a pet. (Associated Press)

October 30, 2006: Liberty Township, OH. A man was bitten by a monkey he had acquired as a pet that same day. The monkey was loose in the house when emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene and the man’s injuries were treated at the hospital. (Cincinnati Post)

October 28, 2006: Marquette County, WI. A 31- year-old woman was bitten in the forehead by a lemur at an exotic animal farm. The woman was transported to the hospital by ambulance, treated and released. (The Oshkosh Northwestern)

October 16, 2006: Copley Township, OH. A USDA veterinarian was attacked by a tiger while investigating animal care concerns at L&L Exotics. The veterinarian was reportedly standing three feet away from the cage when the tiger reached through the bars, pulled the woman toward the cage and bit her arm. The veterinarian was treated for scratches and bruising at a local hospital. The owner of L&L Exotics, Lorenza Pearson, has a long history of issues with animal welfare and public safety including the fatal mauling of his son by a tiger, a May 2006 fire that killed a bear cub and two tiger cubs, and a July 2006 trial for more than 950 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, the outcome of which is still pending. (Akron Beacon Journal)

October 16, 2006: Fleetwood, NC. A 36-year-old woman was attacked by a leopard at the New River Zoo. Reports indicate the woman had crossed a safety barrier and put her arm into the leopard's enclosure and was bitten so severely that surgery was required. In March 2006, API filed a USDA complaint against the New River Zoo after employees encouraged API investigators to have direct contact with a six-month-old leopard being walked around the zoo on a leash; both of which are violations of federal law. (The Mountain Times)

September 11, 2006: Madisonville, TN. A wolf escaped from its cage in Arie Miller's yard and killed two dogs. The wolf was shot by a police officer after baring its teeth. The officer stated he didn't want to kill the wolf but was afraid for the safety of people in the neighborhood. (The Monroe County Advocate)

August 29, 2006: Oklahoma City, OK. Police were forced to corral an escaped pet kangaroo with their cars, considering kangaroos potentially "vicious animals." (Associated Press)

August 28, 2006: Chicago, IL. A rhesus macaque being kept as a pet escaped from its cage and bit a 14-year-old-girl severely enough that she was admitted to the hospital. The monkey now resides at the API Primate Sanctuary in Texas. (WBBM-TV)

August 13, 2006: Waldport, OR. An 11-year-old girl is attacked by relatives' 200-pound pet deer. The girl suffered cuts and bruises to her skull and jaw before her father was able to stop the attack. (KOIN-TV)

August 13, 2006: Bradley County, TN. A 3-year-old girl is attacked by a neighbor's escaped pet monkey as her grandmother buckled her into a car seat. The grandmother transported the girl to the emergency room where stitches were required to close the wounds to her face. (WDEF-TV)

August 8, 2006: Los Angeles, CA. Paris Hilton receives treatment in a hospital emergency room after she is bitten on the arm by her illegal pet kinkajou, Baby Luv. (TMZ.com)

July 18, 2006: Saratoga County, NY. A 4-year-old boy is slashed in the head by a tiger while sitting on a bench near the tiger's cage. The tiger was able to reach through the cage and struck the child on the forehead. The boy left the fair in an ambulance and was admitted to the hospital. (WTEN-TV)

May 22, 2006: Orwell, OH. A 36-year-old woman was severely mauled in her home by a 500-pound bear that escaped neighboring business, the Grand River Fur Exchange. The woman was hospitalized with multiple injuries and the bear shot and killed. (Associated Press)

May 18, 2006: White Hills, AZ. Two tigers at Keepers of the Wild animal sanctuary attack a woman, requiring surgery. Owner of sanctuary apparently does not report incident but USDA is notified and opens an investigation into the attack. (KLAS-TV)

April 6, 2006: Duxbury, MN. A 52-year-old woman was mauled to death by one of many tigers she kept on her property. A man hired to do a controlled burn on the property found the woman dead in the tiger’s cage. The 500-pound Bengal tiger was extremely agitated and had to be euthanized for authorities to get to the woman’s body. (WCCO 4 News)

March 19, 2006: Gainesville, FL. A trucker transporting a tiger to a county fair is bitten and suffers severed tendons in his forearm after sticking his arm in tiger's cage. (Associated Press)

February 1, 2006: Flora, IL. An 80-year-old worker at Spotted Acres farm and petting zoo was mauled by a bear and died from his injuries. The man was called to work because the bear had escaped from his cage; he was attacked when he got out of his truck holding a bag of dog food. Sheriff’s deputies shot the bear; the petting zoo owner also requested that another bear be killed. (Chicago Tribune)

January 25, 2006: Princeton, IA. An elderly couple was attacked by a deer they had been illegally raising as a pet. Both were hospitalized and the eight-point buck was shot and killed by the sheriff’s department. (Quad City Times)

December 11, 2005: Los Angeles, CA. Paris Hilton was attacked by her pet kinkajou, Baby Luv, who clawed her in the face while shopping. (Fox News)

November 14, 2005: Phoenix, AZ. A family was attacked in its front yard by a neighbors’ pet monkey. The monkey escaped from his home and bit two children. (CNN)

November 11, 2005: Pontotoc, MS. A kinkajou escaped his home and attacked an 82-year-old woman and her son. The woman received 20 stitches. (Sun Herald)

September 29, 2005: Lewis County, WA. A five-year-old boy was attacked by a tiger cub while the cub was playing outside her cage. (King 5 News)

August 18, 2005: Altamont, KS. A 17-year-old girl was attacked and killed by a Siberian tiger during a photo-op for her high school senior portrait. The seven-year-old tiger was being restrained by trainer Doug Billingsly, owner of Lost Creek Animal Sanctuary and Animal Entertainment Productions, where the attack occurred. (Associated Press)

August 12, 2005: Beeville, TX. A woman turned over her pet mangabey monkey to a wildlife sanctuary after she was bitten by him. (www.kristv.com)

July 11, 2005: Noble County, OH. A monkey named Buddy escaped from his home, jumped into a pickup truck, and bit a man on the leg. (www.nbc4i.com)

June 26, 2005: Moorehead, KY. A monkey leapt out of a car window as his owner picked up an order at a fast food drive-through window. The monkey, Boo Boo, hung on to a clerk’s hand and bit and injured a restaurant worker. (abclocal.go.com)

June 22, 2005: Little Falls, MN. A 10-year-old boy was attacked by a tiger then a lion at an auto parts store. The lion and tiger were being kept as pets by the owner along with nine other large cats. The boy suffered a brain injury and severed spinal cord, which left him quadriplegic and dependent on a respirator. (Associated Press, Brainerd Dispatch)

June 11, 2005: Allen County, OH. A man was attacked by his 160-pound pet mountain lion after grabbing his tail to prevent the animal from attacking his mother. (Lima News)

May 7, 2005: Huntington, WV. A 13-year-old girl suffered injuries after being bitten by a capuchin monkey. (Herald Dispatch)

April 9, 2005: Thackery, IL. A four-year-old girl reached into a pen that housed a pet cougar and the animal bit her hand and arm. (Courier Press)

April 9, 2005: St. Joseph, MO. A young girl was bitten by a five-foot-long python during an educational presentation at “Experience Western” on the Missouri Western State College campus. The display also included an alligator, chameleon, tarantula, and turtle. (KQTV St. Joseph)

March 17, 2005: Campe Verde, AZ. Two North American wolves attacked their animal handler inside an exhibit at Out of Africa Wildlife Park. The handler was airlifted to a hospital with major injuries to her arms and legs, requiring surgery. (Arizona Republic)

March 6, 2005: Underwood, MN. A 16-year-old girl babysitting for the co-owner of Arcangel Wildlife was injured when she petted one of ten tigers on the property. The tiger caused lacerations to her hand requiring about 12 stitches. Later that night, a serious infection set in and she needed three successive operations to her hand. (Forum)

March 3, 2005: Caliente, CA. Four chimpanzees escaped from their cages and attacked a man and woman visiting a former pet chimpanzee at Animal Haven Ranch. The man was severely mauled, requiring extensive surgery, and the woman lost a finger. An Animal Haven employee fatally shot two of the chimpanzees to stop the attack while the other two chimps remained loose for several hours before being captured. (Associated Press)

February 12, 2005: Tampa, FL. A tiger cub bit a woman’s hand during an exhibit at Tampa Bay Auto Mall. Two adult tigers and two cubs were on display so people could have their photographs taken with tigers. The tigers were supplied by Bottomline Events, in conjunction with Zoo Dynamics, which provides animals to zoos and exhibits. Their caretaker was charged with unsafe handling of captive wildlife, resulting in injury to person. (St. Petersburg Times)

January 20, 2005: Baraboo, WI. A lion cub at Creature Features Pet Store bit an eight-year-old girl visiting the store. Baraboo police ordered the pet store owner to quarantine the cub for at least 10 days. (www.wiscnews.com)