10 Shocking Zoo Attacks You Wouldn’t Believe

The zoo can be a wonderful place to take the family on an afternoon retreat, but that’s not always the case. Unfortunately, when you cage a wild animal, bad things can, and often do, happen. In time, almost every single zoo is open to an attack or an accident. These are just ten of the hundreds of cases where a zoo attack has made the papers and shocked the entire world. Be wary when you’re leaning over the fence at the tiger pen to snap a picture. Your footing might give way.

10. Binky The Polar Bear

In 1994, Australian tourist Kathryn Warburton found herself in a horrible situation after she scaled not one, but two safety fences to get a better photo of Binky, a 1,200 pound polar bear. The bear stuck his head through the bars, grabbing Warburton’s leg. She suffered a broken leg and multiple lacerations.


9. Melody The Tapir

In November of 1998, zookeeper Lisa Morehead was feeding a Malayan tapir named Melody, who happened to be the brand new mother of a baby. Melody ended up biting the arm of Morehead, causing facial lacerations and internal injuries, including a punctured lung. The arm was torn off mid-bicep and could not be reattached.


8. Gu Gu

Unfortunately, Gu Gu the Giant Panda was the cause of multiple attacks. One in 2006, one in 2007, and one in 2009. In each attack, Gu Gu went for the legs of his victim’s, tearing chunks of flesh from their body and maiming all, including a 15-year-old boy.


7. Tilikum the Orca

In 2010, the 12,000 pound Orca, Tilikum, was working with a trainer, Dawn Brancheau, at SeaWorld Orlando when the worst happened. Tilikum grabbed hold of the trainer, pulling her into the water. Brancheau died of drowning and blunt force trauma, including broken bones and a severed spinal cord. Tilikum performs to this day.


6. Painted Dogs, 2012

In 2012, a 2-year-old was sitting atop the railing of the African Wild Dogs exhibit in the Pittsburgh Zoo. Maddock Derkosh tumbled off the railing and into the pen, where he was immediately attacked by 3 of the dogs. Zoo workers forced the animals away, but it was too late. The 2-year-old boy died from the attack.


5. Singapore Zoo, 2008, White Tigers

In 2008, three white Bengal tigers mauled a zoo cleaner when he walked through a moat in their enclosure. The man did not resist as the group of tigers clawed and bit his chest and neck. Sadly, he died on the way to the hospital.


4. 1989, Lion

In 1989, Australian Ellie Quo sought out martial arts mastership by fighting wild animals. His instructor said he could “kill wild animals with your bare hands.” Quo wanted to test this. After sneaking into the Melbourne Zoo, Quo tried to fight a lion. Only his hands were discovered the next morning.


3. Tiger Honor

Two men thought it smart to honor a Bengal tiger by the name of Shiva the Destroyer. The two snuck over the moat at the Calcutta Zoo to enter the enclosure and present the tiger with a flower garland for the New Year. The male Bengal Tiger attacked, killing one of the men and injuring the other.


2. Little Thieves

Zheng Dong was snapping photographs with his smartphone at the Fuzhou Zoo in China when one of the monkeys stole his phone from his hands. Dong attempted to retrieve his phone, but was mauled by the group of monkeys within the enclosure.


1. Lost Arms

50-year-old Jay Prakash Bezbaruah decided to stop at the Guwahati Zoo to take pictures of a female lion. The lion grabbed hold of his arm, and was quickly joined by the male lion. The two mammals ripped his left arm from his body. He died of his injuries before arriving at the hospital.