February 23, 1995 Novi, MI Seven lions and tigers toppled onto the freeway after their trailer came unhitched; one tiger on the loose for four hours. The animals were on their way to a Home Depot store for a photo shoot. Big Cats
February 9, 1995 St. Louis, MO A lion cub was found tied to the front gate of the St. Louis Zoo. The lion was declawed and wearing a collar. Evidently the lion was someone’s “pet.” Big Cats
February 6, 1995 Fort Wayne, IN An elephant with the Tarzan Zerbini Circus stepped on a circus employee, causing a crushed pelvis. The incident occurred as workers loaded animals and equipment following the close of the circus. Elephants
January 31, 1995 Hugo, OK A 200-lb tiger named Shawana escaped and spent 10 days at liberty before being captured. Big Cats
January 12, 1995 Anaheim, CA A “pet” skunk, Squirt, being treated for a leg injury at a veterinarian’s office, bit the vet’s assistant. Squirt was de-scented, neutered, and vaccinated. Animal Control officers seized the animal and euthanized him. Other
January 1, 1995 Colorado Springs, CO A 4-ft-long python, Creeper, wrapped himself around the spindles of a 1-year-old girl’s crib. Creeper had apparently slipped into the girl’s room through a hole in the apartment wall. Creeper’s possessor lived next door. Police captured the snake and place him in a box in the back seat of a patrol car. Creeper escaped box and was nowhere to be found. Police later found the snake dead in the police car. Reptiles
December 29, 1994 Scottsbluff, NE A leopard attacked a zookeeper at the Riverside Zoo, causing serious injuries to the woman’s throat, face, and chest. Big Cats
October 11, 1994 San Diego, CA San Diego Zoo animal trainer Joan Embery suffered deep gashes on her face while exhibiting a cheetah on a television show. Big Cats
October 10, 1994 Riley County, KS A 3-year-old girl trying to feed an elephant named Mickey with King Royal Circus was grabbed around the neck by the elephant, causing minor injuries. This elephant had been severely beaten by his trainer a month before. Elephants
September 17, 1994 Lebanon, OR Mickey, a young Asian elephant, was forced to the ground screaming when his trainer, Bela Tabak, beat him for refusing to do a trick and attempting to flea. The USDA penalized Tabak by suspending his right to handle elephants for 5 years. Elephants