May 23, 2004 Ross County, OH A 33-year-old woman suffered injuries to her arm when a lioness “owned” by her father attacked her. The lion was shot and killed. Big Cats
May 11, 2004 Dayton, OH Two Norwegian Fjord horses traveling with Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus died after they were hit by a train while being unloaded from the train in which they traveled. The horses were struck when a freight train unexpectedly went through the area. One horse died instantly, the other was euthanized at the scene. Other
May 11, 2004 Weedsport, NY A college student’s arm was mangled by a caged “pet” bear kept as part of an exotic animal menagerie. The 22-year-old girl’s left arm was amputated two inches below the elbow. Bears
May 5, 2004 Albuquerque, NM A man visiting the Rio Grande Zoo stuck his finger into a jaguar’s cage, and the cat bit off his finger. The man fled the scene untreated. Big Cats
May 4, 2004 Gahanna, OH A search was on to find an escaped “pet” lion spotted by several residents including police officers. Big Cats
May 4, 2004 Snohomish County, WA A woman reported that her father’s 10-ft-long python snake had escaped from its enclosure. Reptiles
May 3, 2004 Lake County, IL A cougar was spotted by as many as 50 residents over the past two months. Officials believed the animal was an escaped or released “pet.” Big Cats
May 1, 2004 Glenwood Springs, CO A 7-year-old girl suffered injuries to her face when a wolf-hybrid jumped up and hit her while she was taking pictures of the animals for a school project. Other
April 25, 2004 Spokane, WA At least 10 cats and a bobcat were killed when a travel trailer parked inside the Spokane Veterans Arena for El Katif Shrine Circus caught fire. The owners were thought to be subcontractors who provided animals to the circus. As firefighters tried to control the heavy smoke coming from the arena, another bobcat ran through the legs of a firefighter to escape the smoke. A security worker and circus employee were treated for smoke inhalation. Small Cats