July 6, 1999 Orlando, FL An employee at SeaWorld Orlando found a 27 year old man dead and naked on the back of a killer whale, Tillikum. The man apparently snuck in after dark and got in the pool with Tillikum and drowned. This same orca was involved in a death of a trainer in 1991 at the Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia and again in 2010. Marine
January 7, 1999 Phoenix, AZ A Phoenix man was bitten to death by his “pet” rattlesnake. In addition to the snake, the man possessed several boas and other snakes in the house. Reptiles
May 8, 1997 Gainesville, TX An elephant at the Frank Buck Zoo crushed her handler to death when he entered the animal’s pen to move her to another pen. Elephants
March 5, 1995 Washington, DC Lions killed and partially devoured a woman who entered their enclosure at the National Zoo. Her death was later ruled a suicide. Big Cats
August 20, 1994 Honolulu, HI Tyke, an elephant with Circus International, killed her trainer, injured a circus groom and a dozen spectators, and rampaged through the city before she was shot to death by police. Elephants
June 5, 1993 Fishkill, NY An elephant with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus pinned a man against a trailer at the circus grounds and crushed him to death. Elephants
May 5, 1993 Williston, FL While visiting Ringling Bros’s elephant breeding compound, world famous elephant trainer Axel Gautier was stomped to death by an elephant. Elephants
January 12, 1991 Oakland, CA An elephant at the Oakland Zoo kicked to death the handler cleaning his pen. Elephants
June 20, 1990 Miami, FL A circus elephant with Hanneford Family Circus was startled by a passing car while being led to an appearance at a swap shop. The elephant fell on her handler who was crushed to death while the animal struggled to get back on her feet. Elephants