When Animals Attack: Big Cats

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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.

1995:

December 27, 1995/Quinlen, Texas: A 3-year-old toddler was mauled by his family’s "pet" cougar. His 6-year-old sister suffered minor injuries in the attack. The cougar was shot and killed.

December 13, 1995/Beijing, China: A Chinese circus hand was killed by a tiger with whom he was "quite familiar." The chained animal sprang at the man and sank his teeth into the man’s throat, causing fatal injuries.

December 1, 1995/Fort Worth, Texas: A tiger at the Fort Worth Zoo leaped an 11-foot-wide moat and attacked a zookeeper. The keeper was bitten on the shoulder, arm, and hand and was off work for several weeks.

November 24, 1995/Raleigh, N.C.: A "pet" Bengal tiger mauled and critically injured a 3-year-old boy while his father was walking the animal on a leash. The tiger was shot and killed.

November 13, 1995/Memphis, Tenn.: Two Sumatran tigers mauled a man who entered their enclosure at the Memphis Zoo.

November 2, 1995/Washington, D.C.: House Speaker Newt Gingrich was bitten on the chin by a baby cougar he was holding. The bite drew blood, but was not considered a serious injury.

October 29, 1995/Allegan, Mich.: While her 9-year-old daughter watched in horror, a woman was attacked and killed by a "pet" lion after she entered his cage at the home of a friend who collected exotic animals. The friend was severely injured when he tried to stop the attack.

September 30, 1995/Indianapolis, Ind.: A lion being used by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus bit off the index finger of a woman who put her hand in his cage kept in a staging area.

September 29, 1995/Piraeus, Greece: An American tourist was bitten and nearly lost her hand when she attempted to pet a tiger with an Italian circus.

September 27, 1995/Lava Hot Springs, Idaho: Nineteen lions at Ligertown Game Farm were shot and killed after escaping the complex.

September 18, 1995/Wesley, Kan.: A 2-year-old boy required hospital treatment for a severe bite on his ear from the family’s 4-month-old cougar.

September 1995/Bloomington, Ill.: A man suffered a 3_-inch gash to his hand when he attempted to pet a leopard at the Miller Park Zoo.

August 6, 1995/Phoenix, Ariz.: A mountain lion at the Phoenix Zoo gashed a 5-year old boy’s arm after he wandered too close to the cage. He required stitches to close the wound and received scratches on the side of his chest.

June 27, 1995/Downers Grove, Ill.: A 2-year old Chicago girl was mauled by her aunt’s "pet" Asian jungle cat.

May 28, 1995/Novi, Mich.: Seven lions and tigers toppled onto a freeway when the trailer they were in came unhitched. One lion suffered a fractured skull and a tiger bolted across traffic, leading police on a four-hour chase.

March 5, 1995/Washington, D.C.: A woman was fatally mauled by lions after climbing into their enclosure at the National Zoo. The body was so battered and shredded so violently that her fingerprints were gone and her face unrecognizable.

January 2, 1995/Scottsbluff, Neb.: A zookeeper at the Riverside Zoo required surgery to repair her windpipe and injuries to her face and chest after she was attacked by a leopard.

1994:

December 20, 1994/East London, South Africa: Two tigers at the East London Zoo mauled a man who jumped into their enclosure. A tiger from this same group was the one killed after attacking a cameraman in Angola (see 3/16/94).

November 13, 1994/London, England: A zookeeper was killed at a private zoo by a tiger while cleaning the cage. The private facility in London had a slew of deaths and maulings of both visitors and keepers.

October 11, 1994/San Diego, Calif.: San Diego Zoo animal trainer Joan Embery suffered two deep gashes on her face by a cheetah she was exhibiting on a television talk show.

September 3, 1994/New Delhi, India: A tiger jumped out of the ring during a circus performance and killed a 6 year-old boy in the audience. The boy’s father was also seriously injured.

July 24, 1994/Hanover, Canada: A 16-year-old boy was bitten on the neck and killed when he entered a cage with two declawed tigers at a roadside zoo.

July 15, 1994/Kuwait, Iraq: A lion killed his circus trainer by locking his jaws around the woman’s neck during a performance.

June 23, 1994/Brisbane, Australia: A 20 month-old boy had one arm bitten off, and the other badly mauled by a tiglon (a lion/tiger cross) at a circus. The boy’s father was an employee of the circus.

June 18, 1994/Columbia, S.C.: A tiger at an exotic animal farm mauled a 17-year-old worker.

June 7, 1994/Miami, Fla.: A senior zookeeper with 20 years’ experience was mauled and killed by a tiger at Miami Metrozoo.

April 5, 1994/Jackson, Miss.: An 80-pound cheetah scaled an 8-foot fence and pounced on an 8-year-old boy at the Jackson Zoo. The boy was scratched and nipped before the cheetah was recaptured.

March 16, 1994/Angola: A tiger killed a South African news cameraperson while he was filming the evacuation of starving animals from a zoo in Angola. A witness reported that he "never stood a chance." The tiger was killed.

January 25, 1994/Moscow, Russia: A lion with Bingo-Bongo Circus escaped from his cage. A policeman shot and killed the animal with a submachine gun.

January 3, 1994/Shanghai, China: After being forced to climb a ladder and jump through a hoop, a tiger in the Chinese circus grabbed his trainer puncturing two big holes in her neck.

January 3, 1994/Namibia, Africa: Lions at the Ekongoro zoo mauled to death a man who broke into the zoo at night.

1993:

December 12, 1993/Palm Beach, Fla.: A worker at the Lion Country Safari was attacked by a lion, causing severe puncture wounds to her head and chest, as well as collapsed lungs.

September 14, 1993/Joplin, Mo.: A circus employee lost part of her arm after an attack by a tiger on the circus’ animal farm. Doctors had to amputate her arm below the elbow.

August 11, 1993/Georgetown, Ohio: Two teenage boys suffered facial cuts when a lion attacked one, and the other attempted to intercede. The boys were walking when a "pet" lion escaped from his cage and attacked them unprovoked.

May 6, 1993/Las Vegas, Nev.: A keeper feeding a trio of lions in the backyard of a Las Vegas residence was hospitalized after one of the cats attacked her. The Circus Vargas employee suffered five gouges to her leg. During an April performance, another employee was bitten by a lion.

May 6, 1993/Bronx, N.Y.: A man with a history of mental instability was mauled by two lions at the Bronx Zoo after he climbed into their cage.

April 17, 1993/Little Rock, Ark.: A tiger performing with the Shrine Circus at the Barton Coliseum escaped, ran into the audience, and bit a 13-year-old girl. The tiger was owned and trained by Jordan Circus.

February 21, 1993/Norfolk, Va.: Graham Chipperfield, a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus big cat trainer, was mauled by a lion while breaking up a fight between two other lions.

February 3, 1993/Wichita, Kan.: A keeper was hospitalized in serious condition with wounds to his face and neck after being mauled by a Bengal tiger at Tanganyika Wildlife Company. The tiger lunged through the open door of a cage and attacked when the keeper bent down to pick up something. A second keeper attempted to beat the tiger away with a shovel and then shot and killed the tiger.

1992:

November 30, 1992/Pahrump, Nev.: A man was severely bitten by a tiger owned by animal trainer Alex Pasternak. The tiger had to be shot before he would release his grip.

September 27, 1992/Reno, Nev.: A Reno illusionist suffered "bone-deep" puncture wounds to his leg and arm by a tiger being used in a performance.

September 19, 1992/Tokyo, Japan: A lion escaped from a Bolshoi Circus cage in Tokyo and roamed loose for five hours before being gunned down with high-powered rifles.

July 26, 1992/Curitiba, Brazil: A tiger who escaped from a circus and terrorized residents was shot 20 times and killed by police.

June 10, 1992/St. Mary, Australia: A tiger bit a Robinson Circus worker after escaping from his cage and was shot and killed as he approached a busy shopping center.

May 21, 1992/Muhlenberg Township, Pa.: Two tigers with Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus escaped from an unlocked cage during a performance. One tiger roamed around the center ring, frightening 2,000 spectators before he was recaptured.

April 7, 1992/Iron Hill, Del.: One of two cougars used by a private breeder jumped 12 feet and attacked a visitor, biting her on the head, neck, and upper back. The breeder said he would sell the two animals and replace them with cubs in order to continue his breeding and dealing operation.

April 5, 1992/Portland, Ore.: A "pet" lion/tiger hybrid attacked an 11-year-old girl who had to undergo surgery to repair extensive muscle damage in her arm. The animal would not let go and had to be shot and killed.

1991:

December 1, 1991/France: A tiger attacked a trainer during a performance of the Parade Circus. The trainer was treated for lacerations to his legs that required a one-month hospitalization. The same trainer’s father was similarly attacked by a cougar during a "wild animal" show twelve years previous to his son’s attack.

October 9, 1991/Manchester, N.H.: A model was hospitalized for five days and received 50 stitches and rabies shots after being attacked by a lion during a photo session in New Hampshire. A court awarded her a judgment of $75,000 on March 24, 1995.

September 29, 1991/Jackson County, Kan.: A caged lion bit a man on the hand causing puncture wounds that required stitches after the man attempted to pet the lion at a Christmas tree farm.

September 17, 1991/Tucson, Ariz.: A lion cub bit the arm of a 3-year-old girl at the Reid Park Zoo.

May 31, 1991/Mexico City, Mexico: A lion performing with Sur Americano circus leaped into the bleachers and pounced on a 7-year-old boy, biting his head and killing him. The lion was shot in the head and killed during the attack.

May 13, 1991/Belgium: In front of horrified onlookers, an animal trainer for the Kessler Bros. Circus was slowly suffocated to death by a lion who put the trainer’s entire head in her mouth. The lion was shot and killed, but the trainer had already perished.

April 18, 1991/Wilkesboro, N.C.: A 3-year-old girl was attacked by a leopard traveling with the Great American Circus.

March 8, 1991/Grimsby, Britain: Four lions escaped during a Chipperfield circus performance and ran into a crowd of 100 parents with their children in Grimsby. One man was attacked and treated at a hospital.

February 23, 1991/Melbourne, Australia: A drunken man was severely mauled after freeing four lions from their circus cage.

January 18, 1991/Toulouse, France: A tiger attacked and seriously injured a 3-year-old girl at a circus performance. The 400-lb. tiger leaped into the audience, slashed the child across her face and managed to get her head in his jaws before being dragged off.

1990:

December 19, 1990/Italy: A 65-year-old woman was mauled to death at an amusement park when a leopard she was feeding seized her by the neck and dragged her into the cage. The animal, part of an exhibit in a small town in Italy, was tear-gassed, shot, and killed.

November 5, 1990/Phoenix, Ariz.: A woman visiting a Phoenix resort was attacked by a tiger while his trainer was walking him on a leash. Witnesses reported that the tiger acted like a "pussycat" only moments before the attack. The woman was hospitalized with severe puncture wounds.

October 27, 1990/Candelaria, Colombia: A tiger escaped from his circus handler during a parade and killed a 1-year-old child.

August 9, 1990/Sturgis, S.D.: A 5-year-old girl was mauled by a leopard who was restrained by a small chain on a box in Engessor’s Endangered Species traveling act. The girl’s mother sued for $100,000 in damages.

June 23, 1990/San Pedro, Argentina: One man was killed and three people were seriously injured when they were mauled by two lions who escaped from a traveling circus. The lions were shot and killed by police.

June 18, 1990/Sidney, Mont.: A leopard in a petting zoo bit a 7-year-old boy. The owner of the leopard said he had no intention of stopping his shows.

May 1, 1990/San Francisco, Calif.: A zoo keeper was mauled by a leopard in front of school children at a San Francisco zoo. The keeper underwent surgery for deep wounds to his head, shoulders, and arm.

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