March 8, 1998 Tulsa, OK Two elephants at the Tulsa Zoo pushed on the walls of their enclosure until the fence crumpled under their weight. Elephants
February 21, 1998 Reform, MO A 600-lb black bear, Big Max, kept as a caged “pet,” severed the hand of a 6-year-old boy at the boy’s grandfather’s farm. The boy was attempting to rub the bear’s nose at the time of incident. The bear had been kept as a “pet” for more than 10 years. Doctors were able to reattach the boy’s hand which was connected by only about an inch and a half of skin. Big Max was euthanized and tested for rabies. Bears
February 16, 1998 Indio, CA An elephant named Barbara was being led, along with some camels, to her place in the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival parade when a marching band spooked her. Barbara bolted back to her pen with Festival Queen Sheherazade on her back. No one was injured. Elephants
February 9, 1998 Lincolnton, NC A leopard attacked its trainer during a Royal Palace Circus show. Big Cats
February 1, 1998 Mentor, OH A circus elephant panicked at a high school, ran off for a quarter mile, and damaged a police car. Elephants
January 29, 1998 Plymouth, CT A man was seriously bitten by his 5-ft-long “pet” iguana. The man’s finger was gnawed to the bone. Reptiles
January 24, 1998 Jacksonville, FL Charges leveled by the USDA states a 3.5 year old baby elephant named Kenny died after being forced to perform two shows in one day while ill. The case was settled by agreement and Ringling Bros paid $20,000 to close a USDA investigation. Elephants
January 9, 1998 Chillicothe, OH The “owner” of a 12-ft-long, 95-lb python was charged with harboring a dangerous animal after several complaints had been previously filed. The “owner” left the python, Gidget, soaking in a bathtub in an upstairs apartment. Gidget brushed against the faucet and turned the water on. The tub overflowed and the downstairs neighbor called police. Reptiles
January 7, 1998 St. Petersburg, FL A tiger with Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus grabbed the trainer by the head and dragged him around the ring, inflicting severe head injuries. As paramedics tried to stablize the victim, his brother shot the tiger in its cage. Big Cats
September 24, 1997 Everett, WA A 3-ft-long king cobra bit his owner two times. The man was airlifted to a hospital and treated with antivenom medication. Animal Control officers later confiscated the snake. Venomous snake ownership is illegal in Everett, WA. Reptiles