November 13, 1998 Gainesville, FL A previously healthy 5-month-old boy died from contracting Salmonella from the family’s “pet” iguana. Reptiles
November 13, 1998 Gainseville, FL Five weeks after kiling his trainer, white Bengal tiger named Jupiter owned by Ron and Joy Holiday’s Cat Dancers kills owner by biting her in the neck while she hand fed him. Big Cats
November 9, 1998 Indianapolis, IN An elephant at the Indianapolis Zoo bludgeoned a zookeeper with her trunk, breaking the woman’s ribs. The keeper was bathing the elephant at the time of the attack. Elephants
October 31, 1998 Phoenix, AZ Ruby, a 25 year old elephant at the Phoenix Zoo known for her paintings, was euthanized after a cesarean operation revealed that her full-term, still-born fetus had ripped her uterus which caused a massive infection through her abdominal cavity. Her male fetal calf weighed 320 lbs, twice the size of a normal newborn elephant. Elephants
October 30, 1998 Los Angeles, CA A flamingo walked out of its exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo and roamed around the public area for about three minutes before the zoo opened. Other
October 8, 1998 Cut and Shoot, TX Two tigers kept at a private residence escaped when the door to their pen was left open. One tiger was shot after he killed a neighbor’s hog. The other tiger attacked a dog that was tied to a chain. Big Cats
October 7, 1998 Gainesville, FL A tiger with Ron and Joy Holiday’s Cat Dancers killed his trainer after being startled while being moved from one cage to another. 5 weeks later, same tiger kills owner by biting her neck while hand feeding. Big Cats
September 29, 1998 Slidell, LA A “pet” vervet monkey ran wild, knocked over a lamp and attacked the “owner,” biting her arm and scratching her legs. A police officer subdued the monkey after the monkey threw a picture frame at him and attacked him. Primates
September 28, 1998 Dallas, TX A 340-pound gorilla escaped from his room at the Dallas Zoo, raided the kitchen, bit a keeper and then dragged her down a hallway. Primates
September 20, 1998 Oklahoma City, OK A tapir (a large hoglike animal) pulled an Oklahoma City Zoo keeper into her cage and bit her arm off as the keeper tried to feed the animal. The woman also suffered facial injuries and a punctured lung. Although the cause of attack is unknown, the tapir’s baby was also in the cage at the time. Other