April 21, 1993 Altoona, PA Tyke, described in the 08/94 incident, injured a young girl while charging through the arena during a Great American Circus performance. Elephants
April 17, 1993 Little Rock, AR A Siberian tiger with Jordan Brothers Circus escaped into the stands during a Shrine-sponsored circus performance. A 13-year-old girl was bitten, with seven puncture wounds on back of her leg. Big Cats
June 13, 1992 Tampa, FL An elephant named Tillie was being positioned for a performance at the Lowry Park Zoo when she tried to push her trainer into the moat surrounding the exhibit. The trainer and another returned Tillie to the barn where she was disciplined, chained, and put through a series of commands. Tillie obeyed and was returned to the outdoor exhibit. Elephants
February 1, 1992 Palm Beach, FL An elephant with the Great American Circus rampaged and charged the midway in the circus tent while giving rides. A woman and four children who were taking a ride were rescued but the elephant hit a police officer, using her trunk to throw him twice to ground. The elephant was shot and killed by police. Twelve people were injured during the panic, but none seriously. Elephants
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
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
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
June 8, 1990 Reading, PA An elephant with the Great American Circus went on a rampage, injuring her trainer and a spectator. According to spectators, just prior to the rampage, the trainer had stuck a hook in her mouth for refusal to cooperate. One spectator told police he saw the trainer hitting the elephant on the side of the head with a 2-foot metal pole after the incident. Elephants
June 6, 1990 Kansas City, MO Cheyenne, an orangutan at the Kansas City Zoo, escaped from her enclosure by unscrewing four bolts and removing the Plexiglass window. Zoo officials said any human would need a wrench to unscrew the bolts. Cheyenne was tranquilized and returned to captivity and the Plexiglass was replaced with steel. Primates