When Animals Attack: Big Cats

Incidents in 2003    Incidents in 2002    Incidents in 2001    Incidents in 2000    Incidents in 1999    Incidents in 1998    Incidents in 1997    Incidents in 1996    Incidents in 1995-1990

The following is a partial listing of incidents involving captive big cats since 1990. These incidents have resulted in the killing of 87 big cats, 53 human deaths, and more than 180 human injuries. Contact PETA for documentation.

2001:

December 9, 2001/Davie, Fla.: A 7-year-old boy was taken to the hospital for stitches after being attacked and bitten "bone-deep" on the neck by a 40-pound declawed African serval at a PepsiCo International picnic. The child was walking by when the unattended serval leaped on him and knocked him to the ground. Pangaea Productions was hired to bring the serval and other animals to the event to be used for entertainment.

November 2, 2001/Pahrump, Nev.: A man was severely injured by a tiger while visiting a private residence. The man was bitten on the arm when he was allowed to feed the animals and required more than $160,000 in medical care, including reconstructive surgery. A lawsuit was filed against tiger owner Annette Grabowski and her companion, Paul Mason, for negligence and against Nye County for failure to take action despite a previous biting incident.

October 22, 2001/Lyons, France: A lion belonging to a circus and being used in a film escaped from the film set and was discovered near a children's home. The lion was shot and killed.

October 21, 2001/Kunming, China: A zookeeper was mauled to death by a tiger as she entered the cage to feed the animal.

October 10, 2001/Lee County, Texas: A 3-year-old boy was killed by one of three of a relative's "pet" tigers as he was about to have his picture taken with the animals. The 250-pound tiger snatched the boy from the arms of an adult, clamped down on his leg, and dragged him around the enclosure, causing head injuries. The tiger was beaten on the head until he released the boy's foot.

October 6, 2001/Wuhan, China: A lion at a drive-thru animal park attacked and injured two tourists. A mother and son were throwing live hens to the lion from the open window of a bus when the lion grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him out through the window. The mother was scratched as she tried to rescue her son. As punishment, the lion will spend the rest of his life in a small cage.

October 3, 2001/Pittsburgh, Pa.: A "pet" African serval escaped for the fourth time in two years (see August 3, 2001).

September 26, 2001/Paris, France: A lion escaped from his cage at Zoo de Vincennes and ripped open a zookeeper's carotid artery during an attack, killing him.

August 16, 2001/Quitandinha, Brazil: A trapeze artist with the Imperial Circus of Mexico had an arm amputated after he was attacked by a lioness while helping a worker feed her.

August 11, 2001/Sydney, Australia: A lion trainer was "thrown around like a rag doll" by two lions during a performance. The trainer was hospitalized for several days in serious condition with puncture wounds to his chest, back, arms, and buttocks. Emergency workers used fire hoses to push back the lions so that the trainer could be rescued.

August 3, 2001/Pittsburgh, Pa.: A 42-pound "pet" African serval alarmed the neighborhood after he escaped and ran loose for the third time in two years. The serval was undernourished when he was re-captured a month later.

July 31, 2001/Center Hill, Fla.: A 500-pound tiger mauled and killed a man making cage repairs at a roadside zoo called Savage Kingdom. The man had suffered a fatal bite to his neck and severe injuries to his head, arm, and ribs. The tiger was later shot and killed by zoo workers.

July 27, 2001/Racine, Minn.: A 2-year-old, 400-pound white Siberian tiger was destroyed for rabies tests after he bit a 7-year-old girl. The tiger had escaped from a cage at a roadside zoo called B.E.A.R.C.A.T. Hollow and attacked the girl, inflicting two puncture wounds that became infected. The tiger was stuffed and mounted.

July 11, 2001/Africa: British film-maker Nigel Marven was mauled by a hand-reared lion while filming a show. The lion clawed his leg and tried to bite his head.

July 11, 2001/Moscow, Russia: A leopard reached through the bars of his cage at the Krasnoyarsk Zoo and mauled a 4-year-old's neck as she posed next to the animal for a photograph. The girl was hospitalized and required surgery.

June 29, 2001/Valladolid, Spain: A zookeeper was mauled to death by four lions at a zoo when he moved the animals into another part of their cage and accidentally left their cage door ajar.

June 25, 2001/Nashville, Tenn.: The Nashville Zoo was evacuated after officials found a cheetah wandering outside of his pen. The cheetah was shot with a tranquilizer dart and recaptured.

June 13, 2001/Kazan, Russia: A Siberian tiger was shot and killed by police after he escaped from a zoo and attacked a keeper. More than 700 officers and a helicopter searched for the escaped tiger for more than four hours.

May 23, 2001/Michoacán, Mexico: Two lions belonging to the Hermanos Rodriguez Ayala circus escaped from their cages during a severe rainstorm. The lions caused panic among local residents before police and circus workers recaptured the animals.

May 2001/Douglass (Berks) Township, Pa.: An escaped "pet" African serval was struck and killed by a car after roaming free for a week.

April 2001/Omaha, Neb.: Animal handler Bryan Franzen required stitches after he was clawed by a tiger during a performance at the Tangier Shrine Circus.

April 29, 2001/Oskaloosa, Kan.: A Jefferson County sheriff’s lieutenant shot and killed an escaped tiger as the tiger crouched in an attack position. The 600-pound tiger ran loose for an hour after fleeing while being unloaded at a traveling zoo called, "Gatekeepers Wildlife Sanctuary." The animal had twice tried to attack a veterinarian when he was shot with a tranquilizer dart.

April 27, 2001/Oakwood, Ohio: The sheriff's office warned residents to keep their children and companion animals indoors after receiving a report that an escaped lion had been sighted.

April 16, 2001/Cascante, Spain: Three lions and a tiger escaped from a circus, killing or injuring several other animals at the circus. Police cordoned off the area and warned residents to stay indoors. Two of the lions were recaptured, and police shot and killed the tiger and the third lion the next day.

April 12, 2001/Brasov, Romania: A lion being used for photo shoots with tourists attacked an 8-year-old boy and escaped. The lion was recaptured by police, and the boy was hospitalized with bite wounds to his shoulder.

April 7, 2001/Van Buren County, Ark.: Three tigers escaped from their cages while being moved by court order from a Faulkner County subdivision, where they had been kept in violation of a local ordinance. The tigers were found three hours later, and one died after being tranquilized. After the escape, the sheriff of Van Buren County stated that he did not want the tigers in his county either.

March 27, 2001/Morgan County, Mo.: An African lion at Ozark Nature Center escaped from his cage while animals were being loaded for transport. Terrified residents spent the next four days escorting children and keeping companion animals indoors while dozens of police officers and conservation agents searched for the animal. The lion was found napping near a road and recaptured.

March 25, 2001/Las Vegas, Nev.: A tiger with Safari Wildlife attacked and killed his handler. The tiger put his paw on the man’s back, pushed him down, and bit his throat. The handler died within minutes from loss of blood. The tiger was used for photo ops with the public and had also appeared in numerous motion pictures and advertisements. He was being groomed for a promotional advertisement when the attack occurred. Another handler was hospitalized with injuries to his knees and puncture wounds.

March 22, 2001/Toronto, Canada: A 400-pound tiger with Garden Bros. Circus bit off a circus worker’s fingertip while being given water.

March 20, 2001/Olmsted Falls, Ohio: A worker spreading gravel in a tiger enclosure at Burnette Farm was mauled and critically injured by a 500-pound tiger. The worker underwent surgery for bite wounds to his neck.

March 16, 2001/Witts Springs, Ark.: A tiger escaped from a backyard menagerie by gnawing her way through the heavy steel enclosure. The tiger was loose for three days, terrorizing residents and biting a dog, who was subsequently treated for three large fang marks on each side of his neck. The tiger continued to elude capture after she was shot in the shoulder by an area resident. She was tranquilized and recaptured after she was located in a thickly wooded area by a police helicopter.

March 10, 2001/Kamarkundu, India: Just minutes after the show started, a tiger suddenly mauled a worker at the Olympic Circus while the animal was being forced to jump through a fireball. The circus worker received 15 stitches on his head, neck, and jaws.

February 5, 2001/Keal Cotes, England: An animal trainer suffered bite wounds to his leg and shoulder when he was mauled by a 550-pound tiger during a training exercise.

January 26, 2001/Las Vegas, Nev.: A "pet" cougar escaped from her pen and hopped aboard a school bus. No children were on board at the time. The driver fled from the bus, and animal control workers captured the animal.

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