November 12, 2010 Waskom, TX A Harrison County man in his 60’s was killed by his pet deer. The 550lb deer pinned the man against a fence and gored/trampled him. The deer was shot and killed. Other
August 19, 2010 Columbia Station, OH A “pet” bear fatally mauled its caretaker during a feeding on the owner’s property. Owner’s license to exhibit exotic animals was revoked. Bears
June 10, 2010 Omaha, NE 34-year-old Nebraska man dies after being strangled by his 9-ft, 25-lb boa constrictor. Police and paramedics pried the snake free of him but he died later at a hospital. Authorities believe incident is Nebraska’s first fatality by a snake. Omaha has no ordinance against ownership of such animals. Attempts will be made to place the snake with a zoo or sanctuary. Reptiles
April 24, 2010 Orlando, FL A veteran trainer at Orlando’s SeaWorld was dragged under water to her death by Tillikum, the oldest and largest killer whale in captivity, as horrified onlookers watched. Tillikum had been involved in 2 other human deaths prior to this incident, in 1991 and 1999. Marine
April 9, 2010 Wilkes-Barre, PA Elephant is startled and kicks trainer. Trainer dies at scene. Elephant was part of the Irem Shrine Circus but not performing at the time of the incident. Police Lt. Steven Olshefski said the investigation is being conducted by Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Elephants
October 4, 2009 Saylorsburg, PA Teddy, a 9-year-old 350-lb black bear raised from a cub, attacked and killed his “owner” while she cleaned his cage. A neighbor shot the bear dead. The bear was owned legally. A local official said that owners of wild animals usually have a two-section cage, allowing them to isolate the animal behind a locked gate while they clean the other part, but he was baffled why this woman chose to go in the same area the bear was in, calling it a “fatal mistake. These things are not tame animals; they’re wild animals.” Bears
July 1, 2009 Oxford, FL A 2-year-old girl was strangled by 12-ft-long Burmese python. The snake escaped from the family’s glass aquarium overnight and attacked the child. Authorities investigated the possibility that the snake escaped even after a parent stabbed it. Reptiles
April 23, 2008 Big Bear Lake, CA Rocky, a 700-lb grizzly bear, killed his trainer with one bite to the neck. Fire department officials who responded attempted to revive the man but were unsuccesful. Subsequent reports stated that authorities did not plan to euthanize Rocky. Bears
October 22, 2008 Broken Arrow, OK A 32-year-old man was attacked and mortally injured while feeding a 1,000 pound liger. Big Cats
October 21, 2008 Virginia Beach, VA A 25-year-old woman was found dead in her home by her husband. The medical examiner’s preliminary report stated that the woman died from asphyxiation caused by neck compression. The python’s cage was empty. Reptiles