The Craziest Animal Attacks To Ever Happen
Dawn Brancheau – Killer Whale
Dawn Brancheau was a trainer at Seaworld Orlando. She was attacked and killed by a 12,000 pound killer whale named Tilikum during one of her shows. Witnesses report that the whale ripped Brancheau underwater by her ponytail, then the pool turned red as it grabbed her by the waist.
Taylor Hubbard – Siberian Husky Dog
Once a finalist in the Miss Teen USA Pageant, her dreams of becoming beauty queen in other contests were crushed after being mauled by a Siberian Husky. The dog attacked her face, breaking her jaw and a handful of teeth in the process. Her face required over 200 stitches after the vicious attack.
Timothy Treadwell – Grizzly Bear
In 2003, documentary film maker, bear enthusiast, and environmentalist, Timothy Treadwell, was found with his girlfriend mauled to death by a grizzly bear in Alaska.
Local Park Rangers found the couples mangled bodies, with various body parts scattered amongst the forest.
An autopsy of a nearby grizzly bear revealed that it had partially eaten Treadwell and his girlfriend.
Charla Nash – Chimpanzee
This is brutal mauling by a creature many would consider more harmless compared to other animals on this list. A chimpanzee named Travis attacked one of it’s owners friends, Charla Nash. The primate did so much damage to Nash that she lost both of her eyes, her nose, and her hands in the attack.
The animal was shot by Connecticut police in the aftermath of the brutal mauling.
Bryan Jeffrey Griffin – Alligator
Bryan Jeffrey Griffin was out swimming in the Dead River in Lake County, Florida one fateful day, when he was mauled and killed by an alligator. He was with a group of friends, who saw alligators approaching the water. They yelled and signaled to Griffin to get out of the water, but it was too late.
One of the alligators snatched him into its jaws, and thrashed him around mercilessly. It was too late by the time rescuers reached the boy, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Roy Horn – Bengal Tiger
In 2003, Roy Horn, better known by his stage act Siegfried & Roy, was bitten on the neck by their white bengal tiger Montecore during a performance in Las Vegas. Horn miraculously survived the attack, although at a serious cost.
He arrived at the hospital in critical condition, suffering a stroke and partial paralysis. 25 percent of his skull had to be removed in order to reduce swelling on his brain.
Stephan Miller – “Rocky” The Grizzly Bear
Stephan Miller was killed by a grizzly bear named Rocky during a routine exercise with the animal.
Reports from witnesses say that the five-year-old bear attacked Miller, biting his neck, leaving him dead within minutes.
A Village in India – Stray Leopard
A leopard attack in a village in India caused massive ways of panic after the animal mauled 11 people. A policeman, four forest guards, and six villagers were injured from the swiping claws of the leopard.
Luckily no one was killed. Wildlife officials were able to bring the big cat down with tranquilizers before anyone else could be hurt.
Andrew Oberle – Chimpanzee
Andrew Oberle decided to take his study of chimpanzees at the Goodall institute in South Africa into his own hands after bypassing two security fences in order to get close enough to the chimps.
Oberle was attacked by a chimpanzee, and dragged for nearly half a mile before he was discovered. He lost his hand and few toes in the incident.
Zookeeper – Wolves
A Swedish zookeeper was mauled to death by eight wolves after entering the enclosure by herself. She raised the wolves since they were puppies. Zoo workers were able to recover her body from the wolves, but only after it was too late.
She died from her wounds soon after the attack.
Shaiunna Hare – Burmese Python
This is a sad story, that easily could have been prevented. Toddler, Shaiunna Hare lived with her mother, Jaren Ashley Hare, her mothers boyfriend, Charles Jason Darnell, and their eight-foot-long albino Burmese python. Darnell woke up one morning to find that the python had escaped its case during the night. Scrambling, he found the python wrapped tightly around Shaiunna. Darnell stabbed the snake, revealing the lifeless body of the toddler, who had died from asphyxiation.
Both parents were charged with manslaughter and neglect, and were each sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Carlos Eduardo Sousa Jr – Siberian Tiger
A Siberian tiger escaped the San Fransisco Zoo and injured two brothers before killing zoo employee, Carlos Eduardo Sousa Jr.
An autopsy revealed that Sousa Jr. had puncture wounds and scratches all across his head, neck, and chest. His jugular vein was also severed.
Fabio – Bird
This is an odd one. Famous romance novel cover star Fabio was riding a newly opened rollercoaster when a bird decided to give him trouble.
He was hit square in the nose by the bird during the ride, causing Fabio’s face to suffer in the process.
Steve Irwin – Stingray
One of the most beloved television personalities, and wildlife experts, Steve Irwin, died after being pierced by a stingray barb in the chest.
He was on break while filming an ocean based documentary when the attack happened.
Phil Bronstein – Komodo Dragon
Phil Bronstein was at the Los Angeles Zoo when he was attacked by a venomous Komodo dragon. He was told to take off his shoes while visiting with the animal, because his white sneakers could be mistaken for the rats that the zoo fed the dragon.
The dragon decided to attack his feet anyway, crushing Bronstein’s big toe in the process. He required surgery to reattach tendons in the toe.
Maddox Derkosh – African Painted Dogs
This is one of the scariest thoughts that a parent can have. Imagine going to the zoo with your family and having your son want to see the exhibit a little closer, so you stand them up on the railing, then the boy lunges himself forward in order to get a closer look. That’s exactly what happened to Maddox Derkosh. It’s a parents worst nightmare. He fell into the African painted dogs exhibit, bouncing off the protective netting. 11 dogs then proceeded to maul the child.
The autopsy later revealed that the boy did not die from the fall, but from the severe blood loss he sustained from the attack.
Bethany Hamilton – Tiger Shark
Bethany Hamilton is world famous for her story. Hollywood even recreated her tale for the film Soul Surfer. On one fateful morning in 2003, Hamilton went surfing and was mauled by a tiger shark. She suffered nearly 60 percent blood loss, yet miraculously survived the encounter.
She continues to be an inspiration to survivors of deadly attacks, and surfs to this day.
Kerala, India – Elephant
When the worlds largest land animal decides its going to attack, there isn’t much that can be done.
An elephant attacked a village during ceremonial festival in the southern Indian state of Kerala, killing it’s trainer and severely injuring 20 people.
Wes Perkins – Bear
Perkins decided to pursue a bear with his companion one day. They followed the bear on their snowmobile, and ended up being mauled.
Perkins was flown to a hospital in critical condition, and managed to survive the attack.
Phyllis Johnson – Kangaroo
Phyllis Johnson was outside hanging her laundry when a kangaroo decided to attack. The 94-year-old woman was knocked to the ground by the animal, and kicked several times. Johnson attempted to defend herself with a broom, but to no avail.
Her son ended up coming to the rescue, using pepper spray to fend off the kangaroo. Johnson was rushed to the hospital. She suffered severe bleeding and bruising.
Horatio Chapple – Polar Bear
Horatio Chapple was with a group of campers on a Norwegian island when a polar bear decided to attack. The bear was malnourished, so it was weaker than normal, yet it still claimed Chapple’s life while injuring four other campers.
One of the group leaders shot and killed the bear before it could maul anyone else.
Jenna O’Grady Donley – Pygmy Elephant
Jenna O’Grady Donley was visiting a wildlife reserve in Malaysia when she was killed by a pygmy elephant. O’Grady Donley was walking the reserve with a friend when they came upon the animal.
It was said that they may have attempted to take a photo of the animal, causing the elephant to become startled and attack.
Joe Ramonetha – Lion
Ramonetha came back to his job as a South African zookeeper after there was a staff shortage. The security gate was left open as he was feeding the lions, leaving him vulnerable to the animals. A lioness named Nyanga attacked Ramonetha, biting him on the neck.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Musa Jelle – Hyenas
A family in Kenya was attacked by a pack of Hyenas in the middle of the night. The wild animals killed two children, also injuring six other members of the family. 10-year-old, Musa Jelle, was mauled in the face then rushed to the hospital.
His condition worsened, but he eventually pulled through.
Darla Napora – Dog
Darla Napora was pregnant when she was attacked by a pitbull. She was found face down, unresponsive and not breathing in her living room, covered in a pool of her own blood. Napora sustained major trauma to her upper body from dog bites.
She was a part of the Bay Area Dog Lovers Responsible About Pit Bulls, a group dedicated to convincing people that pitbulls were not as dangerous as their reputations lead to believe.
Mark Voegel – Black Widow Spider
This one has horror story written all over it. Mark Voegel lived a more secluded life, surrounding himself with the many insects and snakes he kept as pets. One day the heater broke on the tank holding the animals, and one of the black widows bit him. He died soon after.
It took nearly two weeks for his body to be found, and by that time the creatures had devoured most of his body, covering it in webs, scattering pieces of Voegel around the apartment.
Kelly Ann Walz – Black Bear
The Walz family raised their pet bear since he was a cub. Even knowing the bear its entire life didn’t stop it from attacking Ann Walz. Ann was cleaning the bears cage one day, but made the mistake of leaving him in there, which supposedly set him off into a rage.
Neighbor children witnessed the attack, and their father killed the bear. Sadly, it was too late for Ann.
Gerald Rushton – Red Stag Deer
Gerald Rushton kept a red stag deer in his backyard in an attempt to domesticate it as a pet, even though it’s illegal to do such a thing in Texas. Not only is it illegal, but also incredibly dangerous. The deer ended up goring and trampling Rushton to death.
Game wardens arrived soon after to put the deer down.
Amber Michelle Couch’s Nephew – Mountain Lion
Amber Michelle Couch had received multiple warnings about her pet mountain lion. Vaccines were both not up to date, or large enough doses for the size of the animal. On top of that, the bars holding the big cat were too wide, which was a serious hazard for anyone that would get too close.
Couch’s nephew got too close to the cage one day, and the lion swiped as his face and side. He survived the attack, but the animal was put down shortly after.
Marius Els – Hippopotamus
Marius Els rescued a young hippopotamus from a flood in South Africa, then attempted to domesticate it. There were multiple signs of the hippo still being savage, including breaking out of its cage, and killing calves in the area.
Els didn’t take these violent tendencies to heart however, and ended up dying after the hippo viciously bit him.
Pam Weaver – Camel
For her 60th birthday, Pam Weaver was gifted a camel. Now, that sounds like a pretty odd gift, but Weaver owned a rather large property where sheep, goats, and cattle already roamed. Shortly after owning the camel, it attempted to kill one of the families goats. This is where it gets weird. In a strange turn of events, the camel attempted to mate with Weaver.
She fought the animal off, but the camel knocked her over, kicked her in the head, then laid on top of her, smothering her to death.
Al Abell – African Lion
Abell owned an African lion named Simba as well as a handful of other exotic animals at his small zoo in Illinois. Normally he was careful with how he treated the animals, but one day when he was cleaning Simba’s cage he forgot to lock the secondary door, allowing the lion to break through and attack him. A police stand off happened shortly after.
The authorities used assault rifles to kill the lion, and later found Abell dead from severe bleeding from a massive bite in his leg.
Alexandria Hall – Viper Snake
Alexandria Hall was no stranger to exotic and highly poisonous animals. She owned dozens of illegal reptiles, and one day a pet viper bit her. She was able to get herself to the hospital, but ended up dying a week later.
Who would have guessed that keeping a pet viper was a bad idea.
Sandra Piovesan – Wolf Dog
Piovesan decided that she wanted to keep nine half-dog, half-wolf as her pets. She lived alone, with dozens of animals.
Piovesan was found dead from multiple puncture wounds in the wolf-dog enclosure.
Ricky D. Weinhold – Bull
Ricky D. Weinhold died a day before his 53rd birthday, at the hands of his one-ton pet bull. He had been attacked by the bull a year earlier, and his family begged him to get rid of it because they thought the animal was dangerous.
Investigators ended up finding that Weinhold was more than likely trampled to death.
Terry Vance Garner – Pigs
Authorities are still unsure as to how 70-year-old Terry Vance Garner died, but they are sure that his pigs ate him after his death.
One theory is that Garner had a heart attack in the pigs enclosure, then they ate him after he passed. Another theory is that the massive animals pushed him over and killed him, then ate him.
Antoine Yates – Tiger
Antoine Yates somehow managed to own a tiger and alligator in his small Harlem apartment. One day the tiger attacked after Yates attempted to stop it from hurting another big cat that he recently adopted. Upon arriving at the hospital, workers were suspicious so they alerted the authorities. The animals were turned over to animal sanctuaries.
It was also discovered that his neighbors at the apartment complex knew he had all of these exotic and dangerous animals, yet they weren’t concerned for their safety.
Ronald Huff – Lizards
Ronald Huff owned many exotic lizards in his lifetime. When he didn’t show up to work one day it prompted his family to contact police to see if he was alright.
When the authorities arrived, they found Huff dead, being eaten by his lizards. However, the lizards were never confirmed as the actual cause of his death.
Leo Ferre – Chimpanzee
Frech singer, Leo Ferre, owned a pet chimp named Pepee that was known to terrorize house guests and bite his step-daughter. The animal even kidnapped a human baby at one point. Many of the families friends refused to visit because the animal was such a problem.
Pepee ended up dying after suffering a major fall.
Brenda Guerrero – Pitbull Dog
Brenda Guerrero was attempting to take off her sweater when her pitbull, Scarface, attacked. Her husband Ishmael stepped in to try and stop the dog, but their 22-year-old son was the one that ended up stabbing the animal. Even after that, the dog continued to attack.
The family was able to escape, prompting animal control to tase the dog once they arrived.
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