June 14, 1996 Casper, WY An elephant with the Jordan World Circus, frightened by a horse, knocked down and repeatedly kicked her trainer. The elephant was giving rides at the time at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds. One child fell off the elephant during the incident. Elephants
June 5, 1996 Buffalo, NY A 2-year-old girl escaped serious injury after the family’s 10-ft-long python tried to crush and swallow her. The snake, weighing approximately 40 lbs, wrapped itself around the girl’s neck and had her forearm down its throat and bit her on the arm. The snake had recently eaten the family’s “pet” rabbit. A police investigator removed the snake from the house and killed it. Reptiles
June 1, 1996 Manorville, NY A chimpanzee at the Long Island Game Farm escaped from his enclosure when the door was left unlocked. The chimp ran through the park, grabbing and scratching children until he was shot to death by a park official. Primates
May 18, 1996 Robie Creek, ID A “pet” cougar with at least one escape on her record mauled a 7-year-old boy after escaping from her cage. Big Cats
May 9, 1996 Stanton Island, NY A “pet” capuchin monkey escaped from his enclosure and roamed the neighborhood. Emergency Service police officers were unable to capture the monkey. Primates
April 18, 1996 Midlothian, TX A 6-year-old girl was mauled by a tiger and then injured in a car accident while being rushed to the hospital. The mother of the girl was bitten trying to rescue the girl. The “owner” of the tiger also kept five other tigers and a lion. Big Cats
March 5, 1996 Comfort, TX Two elephants giving rides from the King Royal Circus were scheduled to race down Highway 473 carrying riders from a local high school. Before the race began, one rider fell off an elephant’s back and suffered two broken ribs and arm and wrist injuries. Trainers moved the elephant away to avoid further injuries. Race continued when another rider volunteered and both riders took turns riding the second elephant. Elephants
March 1, 1996 Spokane Valley, WA A “pet” cougar with at least one escape on his record (see 11/01/95) attacked a 5-year-old boy, puncturing and bruising the boy’s hand. The boy and his brother were petting the cougar through the chain-link fence when the cat became aggressive and tried to pull the boy into the cage. County health officials ordered the cougar to be euthanized so it could be tested for rabies. Big Cats
February 1, 1996 Hagerstown, MD A 28-year-old man was rushed to the hospital after being bitten by his “pet” Gabon viper. The man was giving the snake some water and was moving the bowl toward the snake when it attacked. The man was treated with antivenin and underwent surgery to repair severe damage to his hand. At the time of the incident, the man was president of the Western Maryland Herpetological Society. The snake was subsequently destroyed. This incident was one of several dangerous snakebites that occurred in the Washington, DC area in past 10 years. Reptiles
January 5, 1996 Vallejo, CA Two trainers at Marine World wild animal park were slightly injured when the two cougars they were exercising attacked. Big Cats