Buzz
Most zoos are generally safe when proper precautions and regulations are followed. They welcome millions of visitors annually, including many children. However, it's unrealistic to assume that housing large carnivores, snakes, and massive animals in enclosures without incident is perfectly safe. Below are ten instances demonstrating why creatures like lions, tigers, and bears may be better off in their natural habitats. I’ve spread the events across various species, but this list represents only a small fraction of the countless alarming events that happen worldwide each year.
10. Binky The Polar Bear 1994
Kathryn Warburton, an Australian tourist, got more than she bargained for when she scaled two safety fences to snap a picture of Binky, a 1,200-pound polar bear. Without warning, the bear reached through the bars, grabbing her. Warburton’s leg was fractured, and she sustained several lacerations. Had it not been for the quick thinking of nearby zoo visitors, who struck Binky with branches, she could have been killed. Just a month and a half later, Binky attacked another tourist, a drunken teenager, causing severe damage to his leg. Despite these attacks, Binky gained a level of fame, with his image appearing on zoo souvenirs.
9. Melody The Tapir 1998
The tapir is an unusual creature resembling a pig, native to Central and South America, as well as parts of Asia. On November 27, 1998, zookeeper Lisa Morehead was feeding a Malayan tapir named Melody, who had recently given birth to a two-month-old baby. While in the enclosure, Melody unexpectedly bit Morehead’s left arm. Despite her struggle to defend herself, Morehead suffered facial lacerations and severe internal injuries, including a punctured lung. Unfortunately, she lost her arm, which was severed at the mid-bicep, too damaged and infected for reattachment.
8. Multiple Wolves 1996
As part of a new exhibit at the Wolf Center, 24-year-old wildlife biologist Patricia Wyman was hired as a caretaker for five gray wolves and to lead educational programs for the public. Wyman had only entered the wolf enclosure twice before the incident: once with a supervisor and once to feed the animals. Other staff members described the wolves as shy, typically keeping their distance when people entered their space. While no one witnessed the attack directly, it’s thought that Patricia may have tripped, triggering the wolves’ natural predatory instincts. She was found naked and covered in bite wounds, with large portions of flesh torn from her arms and legs. The wolves were euthanized and tested for rabies, all of which came back negative.
7. Gu Gu The Giant Panda 2006/2007/2009
There’s no denying the charm of a panda; they may very well be the cutest creatures on Earth. However, they also possess powerful jaws, as three separate visitors to the Beijing Zoo learned the hard way. The first incident involved a 35-year-old man named Zhang Xinyan, who was intoxicated and jumped into the panda enclosure to try and cuddle with 240-pound Gu Gu. He was quickly bitten on his legs. The second was a 15-year-old boy named Li Xitao, who encountered Gu Gu during feeding time. Li was severely injured, with chunks of flesh torn from his legs, exposing his bones. In 2009, another man named Zhang entered the panda enclosure to retrieve a toy his child had dropped. Gu Gu, angered by the intrusion, attacked his legs once again, and it took zoo workers tools to pry the panda’s jaws open.
6. Mila The Elephant 2012
Mila was a 39-year-old African elephant who had spent approximately 30 years performing in a circus. She had been residing at the Franklin Zoo in New Zealand for 4 years, although her stay was meant to be temporary. The zoo’s owner, Helen Schofield, had plans to transfer Mila to a sanctuary in California. However, possibly due to the trauma she endured during her circus years, where elephants often face harsh abuse, Mila tragically crushed Schofield, 42, with her trunk.
5. Jabari The Gorilla 2004
Jabari, a 13-year-old western lowland gorilla, lived in an enclosure surrounded by 16-foot concave walls. After being taunted by some children, Jabari managed to scale the walls and went on a rampage. The over 300-pound gorilla attacked four people, including 26-year-old Keisha Heard and her 3-year-old son, Rivers. At one point, Jabari even put the child in his mouth, gnawing on his head and chest. In this case, all victims survived, but Jabari did not. He was shot by members of the police SWAT team after charging at them.
4. Nyanga The Lion 2012
Due to a shortage of staff, Joe Ramonetha, a former worker, came out of retirement to care for the lions at the Parys Zoo Farm, which serves as a breeding facility for the Johannesburg Zoo. While in a hallway that was typically off-limits to the animals, Ramonetha encountered Nyanga, a lioness whose name means ‘witch doctor.’ Other staff members rushed to his aid after hearing his screams, but it was too late. Nyanga had already bitten through Ramonetha’s neck, resulting in his death. Nyanga’s life was spared, and she was transferred to a sanctuary shortly afterward.
3. Zanesville Massacre 2011
61-year-old Terry Thompson, a Vietnam War veteran, had a lifelong passion for collecting exotic animals. Over the years, he created a large private menagerie at his Zanesville, Ohio home. On October 18, 2011, Thompson released dozens of his animals before taking his own life with a gunshot to the head. A neighbor soon contacted the police after seeing a bear and a lion roaming nearby. When authorities arrived, they discovered Thompson’s body being gnawed on by a white tiger. What followed could only be described as a massacre; officers stormed the property with high-powered rifles, hunting the freed animals. The tigers were reported as the most dangerous, laying in ambush and charging at officers even after being shot multiple times. By the end of the hunt, 2 wolves, 2 grizzly bears, 18 tigers, 17 lions, 6 black bears, 3 mountain lions, and 2 monkeys were dead. No human casualties occurred, aside from Thompson. The animals were buried in a mass grave on the property.
2. African Painted Dogs 2012
African Wild Dogs are roughly the size of a medium-sized domestic dog. These sub-Saharan pack hunters possess powerful jaws and are infamous for their brutal method of disemboweling prey. On the morning of November 4, 2012, 2-year-old Maddock Derkosh was standing on a railing outside the Pittsburgh Zoo’s Painted Dog Bush Camp exhibit with his mother. Tragically, he lost his balance, fell onto some protective netting, and tumbled into the enclosure. The young boy was immediately attacked by at least three dogs, who targeted his head and torso. Zoo staff managed to drive off most of the dogs, but one remained and continued to assault the body, forcing police to shoot the animal. Autopsy reports confirmed that Maddock survived the fall, but the fatal injuries came from the attack.
1. Tilikum The Orca 2010
Weighing in at 12,000 pounds, Tilikum is the largest killer whale ever kept in captivity, measuring the size of a full-grown male African elephant. Captured off the coast of Iceland in 1983, he was sent to Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia, Canada. Despite being trained, no handlers were ever allowed to enter the water with him due to his immense size. In 1991, a young trainer named Keltie Byrne fell into the tank where Tilikum and two other orcas were kept. The orcas seemingly ‘played’ with her until she drowned. In 1992, Tilikum was transferred to SeaWorld Orlando, where he became a highly successful breeder and lived without incident until July 6, 1999, when a guest named Daniel Dukes sneaked into the orca tank after hours. His battered body was discovered on Tilikum’s back the following day. On February 24, 2010, trainer Dawn Brancheau was working with Tilikum after a show when the whale suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into the water. Other trainers tried to lure Tilikum into another area to free Brancheau, but it was too late. She died from drowning and blunt force trauma, including broken bones and a severed spinal cord. Tilikum continues to perform to this day.
