January 26, 2000 Riverview, FL An elephant named Kenya at the winter facility of Ramos Family Circus broke away from his tether to a tree and stomped Teresa Ramos to death. Another elephant at the compound was involved in 02/21/99 incident at Poughkeepsie, NY. Elephants
January 20, 2000 Lansing, IL A 9-year-old macaque monkey, Zip, attacked his possessor. Zip latched his fangs into the woman’s head, arms, and legs. She spent 10 days in the hospital and lost about a pint and a half of blood. Zip was euthanized. Zip had previously bitten the woman and attacked the family dog. Primates
January 15, 2000 San Jose, CA An Asian water monitor lizard escaped from his cage and roamed the surrounding neighborhood. Reptiles
January 5, 2000 Palm Harbor, FL A “pet” spider monkey escaped from his cage, found his way to a neighborhood park, and attacked a Siberian husky. The husky required surgery to repair artery and tendon injuries. The monkey also bit the husky’s possessor. Primates
July 26, 1999 Dallas, TX A young elephant drowned in a pool during a travel stop in Texas. The elephant was the 5th Ringling Circus animal to die in the last 18 mos. Elephants
December 22, 1999 Madison, WI An elephant at the Henry Vilas Zoo attacked a zookeeper and veterinarian while the vet checked her chronically sore feet. The zookeeper was treated and released from a local hospital. After the attack, fresh puncture wound were observed above the elephant’s eye. The elephant was involved in a previous incident 07/09/98. Elephants
December 22, 1999 Cut and Shoot, TX One of 6 elephants escaped and wandered onto neighboring property and pressed against a family’s sliding glass door, then crashed through a fence to return. The elephant was owned by Bill Swain, who books elephants, lamas, and camels at performances throughout country, under name of Trunks and Humps, Inc. Elephants
December 22, 1999 Port Orange, FL A 32-year-old man died after being bitten by his 12-1/2-ft-long reticulated python. The python grabbed the man’s forehead and then wrapped himself around the man’s body, suffocating him. Reptiles
December 18, 1999 Oneida, OH A “pet” Cougar, Grace, escaped from her cage and attacked a neighbor’s dog. Grace pushed past her “owner” when he fed her breakfast. The dog survived but Grace was shot and killed. Big Cats
December 12, 1999 Van Nuys, CA A Los Angeles Zoo volunteer died after her “pet” Gabon viper bit her. The woman kept 12 snakes, 10 of them dangerous, and 6 flesh-eating piranha fish at her home. She was found with two puncture wounds on the back of her hand. The viper has the longest fangs of any snake, according to Los Angeles Zoo officials. Reptiles