August 17, 1991 Fresno, CA A man was bitten on the finger after he reportedly climbed over a plastic barricade and put his hand into the cage of a 350-lb lion owned by Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey. According to the man’s friend, the victim had been drinking. Big Cats
May 13, 1991 A lion with Kessler Bros. Circus put the head of the animal trainer in her mouth, suffocating him before she was shot and killed. Big Cats
April 18, 1991 Wilkesboro, NC A leopard with the Great American Circus jumped out of the ring and bit a 3-year-old girl on the neck. Big Cats
March 14, 1991 San Diego, CA A keeper at San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park was kicked in the head and killed while attempting to break up a fight between two elephants. Elephants
January 12, 1991 Oakland, CA An elephant at the Oakland Zoo kicked to death the handler cleaning his pen. Elephants
November 5, 1990 Baton Rouge, LA A chimpanzee escaped from a local amusement park, snarling traffic and injuring 2 people before being subdued with tranquilizer darts. Primates
October 1, 1990 Indianapolis, IN A father and his son fell from an elephant they rode at the Indianapolis Zoo. The man suffered a dislocated hip and severe groin injury, later sued for lost wages and trauma from the incident. Elephants
August 17, 1990 Holladay, UT A 15-foot-long Burmese python escaped for the third time in a year. It was loose for four days before being found in a nearby work shed. The sheriff’s office wanted to file a civil claim to recover the expense of the search and deter future escapes. Reptiles
August 1, 1990 Detroit, MI Zoo visitor Rick Swope jumped into the moat of an exhibit to save a drowning chimpanzee. Both he and the chimpanzee survived. Primates
July 7, 1990 Portland, OR A 12 year old girl suffered minor injuries when a chimpanzee attacked her at a circus sponsored by the Portland Police Association. The chimpanzee was performing on a motorcycle when he rushed into the crowd and bit and scratched the girl. Primates