July 28, 1999 Kissimmee, FL A “pet” monkey escaped from his cage by chewing a rope used to hold the cage door shut and roamed the neighborhood. The monkey jumped on a 13-year-old boy’s leg, scratching him. The monkey then bit a police officer and pulled the hair of another before he was recaptured. Primates
July 6, 1999 Orlando, FL An employee at SeaWorld Orlando found a 27 year old man dead and naked on the back of a killer whale, Tillikum. The man apparently snuck in after dark and got in the pool with Tillikum and drowned. This same orca was involved in a death of a trainer in 1991 at the Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia and again in 2010. Marine
July 1, 1999 Gaithersburg, MD Dusty, a terrier dog, was attacked by a 12-ft-long snake in his backyard. Authorities believed the snake was a “pet” that escaped from its cage. Dusty was not seriously injured. A neighbor subsequently shot the snake. Reptiles
June 19, 1999 Stonybrook, PA A “pet” python escaped from its possessor’s home. The python was subsequently found later the same day. Reptiles
June 10, 1999 Wichita, KS A tiger at the Safari Zoological Park bit a woman when she stuck her arm inside the cage. The woman was hospitalized for injuries and received rabies shots. Big Cats
June 10, 1999 DeLand, FL A 6-ft-long monitor lizard was on the loose in a residential neighborhood. Police shot the lizard. It was suspected the reptile was someone’s “pet.” Reptiles
June 6, 1999 New Castle County, DE A 45-year-old man was found dead in his apartment from an apparent rattlesnake bite from one of his 15 “pet” snakes. The man was found 10 feet from an open, empty snake tank. The man had been feeding the animal when he was bitten. Animal Control officers removed from the man’s apartment 8 rattlesnakes, 2 king cobras, 2 corn snakes, a desert snake, and two others that were not identified. Reptiles
June 2, 1999 Yorktown, TX A male tiger jumped on a 10-year-old girl who entered the cage with her stepfather to groom the animal. The girl was dragged through the cage and died of head and neck injuries. The stepfather took the tiger to exotic animal shows and had applied for a USDA exhibitor license at the time of the attack. Big Cats
May 14, 1999 Mesa, AZ A “pet” monkey escaped from its backyard and lunged at a couple in the neighboring yard. The “owner” of the monkey had 4 macaques and 1 capuchin. This is one of many escapes by the “owner’s” “pet” monkeys. Primates
May 12, 1999 Rexburg, ID A bear bit an employee at a drive-through animal park, Yellowstone Bear World. The woman was treated for minor injuries. Bears