When Animals Attack: Elephants

Incidents in 2003-2000 Incidents in 1999-1996 Incidents in 1995-1990

The following is a partial listing of rampages by captive elephants since 1990. These incidents have resulted in 65 human deaths and more than 130 human injuries. Contact PETA for documentation.

1999:

December 22, 1999/Madison, Wis.: An elephant attacked two keepers at the Henry Vilas Zoo, throwing one against the wall and grabbing the other in her mouth. The elephant has injured people at least three other times since being brought to the zoo in 1966.

November 17, 1999/Syed Zarir, Africa: An American tourist was killed when she fell off an elephant and was trampled. The elephant she was riding was charged from behind by another elephant in the procession. Two other tourists and an elephant keeper were critically wounded in the incident.

October 24, 1999/Valledupar, Colombia: An elephant gored and trampled her trainer to death after performing in a show with the Modelo Circus. Maggy had just gone through her nightly routine when she suddenly turned on her whip-wielding trainer, tossed him into the air, and impaled him with her tusks.

October 4, 1999/Dallas, Texas: An elephant walked out of the ring in which she was performing and out into a Dallas intersection filled with spectators. It took two hours for her handlers to coax her back into the arena.

July 11, 1999/Bangkok, Thailand: An elephant used for carrying tourists at a popular resort gouged his 13-year-old keeper to death. The boy was taking the 25-year-old elephant, Boonlieng, for his usual bath when the animal suddenly became nervous and killed him.

May 26, 1999/Madrid, Spain: An elephant brought to a stock exchange for a promotional event spooked, broke away from her handlers, and crashed into traffic lights, a lamppost, and a trash bin. She escaped a second time and was subdued with a tranquilizer gun, hoisted by crane into a truck, and hauled back to the zoo.

May 15, 1999/Ontario, Canada: A 23-year-old American circus worker died after an elephant backstage at a circus performance attacked him. Police say the man, who assisted the trainers with the animals in the Leonardo Circus, was kicked in the head.

May 12, 1999/Bethune, S.C.: A circus elephant trainer suffered a broken leg when she fell off the back of an elephant named Flora and was stepped on.

April 29, 1999/Duluth, Minn.: An animal handler with the Tarzan Zerbini Circus (also doing business as Circus Maximus) was injured by an elephant and hospitalized in serious condition with multiple injuries.

February 21, 1999/Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: Luna, an elephant with the Royal Hanneford Circus, escaped the ring and charged the crowd in the middle of a performance. Luna ran through two tiers of seats, causing panic and sending spectators running for safety.

1999/Kershaw County, S.C.: Flora, an African elephant with Circus Flora, grabbed a woman with her trunk as she was dismounting from a ride and threw her against a tree three times. The woman was in a body brace for three months with many broken bones and received $468,000 as settlement of a lawsuit.

1998:

November 17, 1998/Kathmandu, Nepal: A circus elephant killed her trainer and ran through the town of Janadpur. Police shot the elephant 40 times and killed her.

November 9, 1998/Indianapolis, Ind.: Cita, a 29-year-old elephant at the Indianapolis Zoo, attacked her keeper after being reprimanded. She struck the keeper with her trunk, breaking several ribs.

August 27, 1998/Syracuse, N.Y.: An elephant with the Commerford & Sons petting zoo, carrying children on her back at the state fair, panicked and knocked down her trainer, then stepped on him. A 3-year-old girl was also injured after falling off the elephant. Both were treated at a local hospital.

July 1998/Madison, Wis.: An Asian elephant named Winky and an African elephant named Penny injured a zookeeper at the Henry Vilas Zoo. The zookeeper was "picked up by one, thrown, and [then] knelt down upon by a second elephant."

June 1998/Minsk, Belarus: A male elephant named Surik at the Hrodno Zoo in Belarus suddenly attacked a keeper, who died of her injuries.

February 21, 1998/Indio, Calif.: An elephant being ridden in a festival show spooked, reared back, and bolted back to her pen, taking the "queen of the festival" with her.

February 16, 1998/Mentor, Ohio: A circus elephant named Tonya panicked while in a high school hallway and forced open a door. She ran a quarter of a mile and damaged a police car before being caught outside a discount store.

1997:

December 25, 1997/Colombo, Sri Lanka: Raja, an elephant at the National Zoological Gardens who had killed his trainer 18 months before, killed another trainer by grabbing him with his trunk and goring him with his tusk.

November 3, 1997/Bangkok, Thailand: An elephant killed eight people and injured his trainer.

September 23, 1997/New Delhi, India: An elephant forced to carry heavy loads went berserk, trampled his owner to death, and destroyed nearly 100 huts before being shot and killed by police.

August 30, 1997/York, Maine: Two African elephants fled from York Wild Kingdom when they were startled by a truck. One elephant was found in a wooded area behind neighborhood houses.

June 28, 1997/Seagoville, Texas: A 65-year-old man who entered a "storage yard for circus animals" was attacked by an elephant and suffered a broken arm and dislocated shoulder.

May 28, 1997/Gainesville, Texas: An elephant at the Frank Buck Zoo crushed her handler to death.

April 13, 1997/Alberta, Canada: A spooked elephant performing at a Shrine Circus slapped a handler with her trunk and bit him on the head and back, causing injuries serious enough to require hospitalization.

March 17, 1997/Bangkok, Thailand: A spooked elephant killed an Australian man at a tourist show in northern Thailand.

January 1997/Bangkok, Thailand: An elephant who had been chained to a tree for 20 years was gunned down after going berserk and breaking free.

1996:

October 20, 1996/Los Angeles, Calif.: An assistant trainer was attacked by a female elephant during a training exercise at the Los Angeles Zoo. Onlookers reported that the elephant grabbed the worker’s head, knocked him down, and tried to trample him. He was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for three broken ribs and a broken collarbone.

July 1996/Quebec, Canada: An elephant attacked her trainer while he was preparing her to give elephant rides.

June 14, 1996/Casper, Wyo.: An elephant knocked down and repeatedly kicked her trainer. At the time of the incident, the elephant was giving rides to children. One child fell off the elephant. This elephant was performing with Jordan World Circus and is currently owned by John Cuneo.

June 1996/Colombo, Sri Lanka: Raja, a "star" attraction at the National Zoological Gardens in Sri Lanka, was being led to a performance when he grabbed his trainer with his trunk and smashed him against a pole, killing him.

June 1996/Iquique, Chile: An elephant at a circus killed a 10-year-old boy after knocking him down during a circus performance.

March 5, 1996/Comfort, Texas: A high school principal suffered two broken ribs and was nearly trampled when he fell from a King Royal Circus elephant. An elephant he had been mounting for an elephant race became upset and shook him off.

February 8, 1996/Thailand: An elephant was shot and killed after he killed his owner and damaged several houses. The elephant had broken free just the night before and caused damage in the village.

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