It is common knowledge that thousands of animals are mistreated in zoos all around the world.
That is why it is no surprise that these creatures act out from time to time to defend themselves or their pack.
In this article, we will be discussing some scary scenarios in which zoo animals have broken free or hurt their handlers or zoo visitors.
A Bengal Tiger Mauls a Zookeeper
In 2008, a zookeeper named Nordin Bin Montong lost his life while cleaning the Bengal tiger enclosure.
According to onlookers, the tigers leaped at him from a bush and proceeded to maul the zookeeper.
Afterward, his injuries were far too severe, and he lost his life in the hospital.
Binky the Polar Bear Bites a Visitor
Binky the polar bear did not take too kindly to Kathryn Warburton when she decided to jump the railing surrounding his enclosure just to get a picture.
Binky stuck his head through the barrier and took a bite out of her leg.
Warburton required surgery, while Binky gained plenty of fame for the incident.
Harambe Loses His Life
Almost everybody in the world should know the story of Harambe by now.
A 4-year-old boy snuck past the fences of the zoo enclosure and found himself in this gorilla’s habitat. The zookeepers eventually had to shoot Harambe after he was seen dragging the toddler across the ground.
Wild Dogs Catch a Fallen Toddler
While visiting a zoo in Pittsburgh, a 2-year-old boy ended up falling into a wild dog enclosure.
Immediately, he was mauled and attacked by the wild animals.
His parents ended up suing the zoo for having a lack of safety protocols.
A Rhino Was Shot By Poachers At a Zoo
In 2017, a 4-year-old rhino was found dead in its enclosure after being shot by a group of poachers.
The horn of the rhino had been brutally sawed off.
It was the first crime of its kind in the country, leaving residents rather shocked.
An Elephant Stomps the Yard
Mila the elephant ended up crushing her vet to death after being transferred into a new enclosure.
After grazing an electric fence, the elephant picked up her handler with her trunk in front of a live audience.
The vet died almost instantly, and Mila was transferred back to her previous zoo.
Starving Bears Beg For Food At a Zoo
In 2017, a video that showed a group of starving bears began circulating on social media.
In this video, the bears appeared to be locked up in a zoo enclosure and could be seen begging for food.
This is just one horrifying story that has surfaced relating to the misconduct of zoos around the world.
An Egyptian Cobra Escapes the Zoo
A couple of years ago, an Egyptian cobra managed to escape its enclosure at the Bronx Zoo.
Even though nobody was hurt or bitten, this could have led to a serious disaster.
The snake turned up a mere 100 feet away from its enclosure about one day after escaping.
A Whale Thrashes A Seaworld Trainer
Tilikum is an orca whale that has spent more than half of its life in captivity.
A few years ago, the whale ended up grabbing a trainer by the waist and thrashing her through the water.
In the end, she ended up drawing to death in front of a live audience.
A Man Releases The Animals From His Private Zoo
Terry Thompson dedicated his life to building his own private zoo.
However, after struggling with depression, Thompson decided to set all of his animals free before taking his own life.
The dangerous creatures were left roaming the streets for an entire day before the police intervened.
A Gorilla Attacks A Group Of Children
Jabari the gorilla was being taunted by a group of children at the Dallas Zoo when he decided to give them a piece of his mind.
The gorilla launched at the children and dragged a 4-year-old boy into his cage.
He then caught the child in his mouth and proceeded to shake him around violently. However, nobody was killed during this attack.
A Lion Kills A Zookeeper
A retired zookeeper was called in to take care of a female lion at the Parys Zoo Farm.
However, this zookeeper ended up losing his life after stepping into the enclosure one too many times.
The lioness mauled the man to death and was relocated to a different zoo.
A Drunk Zoo Visitor Is Killed By a Group Of Monkeys
A Brazilian man decided to day drink while visiting a local zoo.
However, this led to him making the rash decision to jump into the monkey enclosure.
The monkeys quickly mauled the drunken man and left multiple bite and scratch wounds all over his body.
Two Men Are Attacked By a Tiger
Two drunk men decided that it would be a good idea to jump into the tiger enclosure at an Indian zoo.
However, the tiger was not pleased with their behavior and ended up mauling one of the men to death.
The other escaped just in time after he was helped out of the cage by onlookers.
A Tapir Bites a Zookeeper’s Arm
Lisa Morehead was completing her daily task of feeding the tapir when she was violently attacked.
After sticking her arm into the enclosure, the animal decided to take a bite.
Sadly, this resulted in the tapir severing the limb completely. Luckily, Lisa did not die.
A Panda Gets Three Strikes
Gu Gu has attacked a total of three zoo visitors, all of which attempted to jump into the animal’s enclosure.
Although nobody lost their lives, one man did almost end up having his leg amputated.
The animals in a zoo are in captivity and are not domestic house pets – keep this in mind!
Monkeys Steal and Play With a Man’s Phone
When getting a little too close to the monkey enclosure, the animals grabbed a man’s phone from his hands.
The money then proceeded to destroy the phone right in front of him.
After retrieving it from the cage, the phone was completely broken and useless – that monkey must really hate technology!
The Wolf Attack
Patricia Wyman was hired to look after and care for a group of five wolves at a local zoo in the US.
However, after just a few days on the job, her body was found in the enclosure with serious bite marks and other wounds.
The wolves were destroyed after the vicious attack.
A Gorilla Attacks After Being Taunted By Children
This gorilla had had enough after being taunted by a group of children.
The monkey found a way to grab two of the kids and pulled them into his enclosure.
One child could not be saved, but the other was rescued by zookeepers.
Mauled To Death By a Lion
While on vacation in South Africa, a woman was attacked and mauled to death by a male lion.
The woman had been on safari and decided to walk around the grassy area to get a few good photos.
Sadly, the injuries sustained were too serious, and she ended up passing away.
A Newlywed Couple Was Trampled By a Gorilla While On Honeymoon
While on honeymoon, a couple was exploring a Rwanda safari area.
Out of nowhere, they were suddenly attacked by a wild gorilla.
Nobody was badly injured, but the entire incident was caught on camera.
A Former Game Of Thrones Editor Was Mauled To Death In South Africa
Katherine Chappell had been on holiday in South Africa when she lost her life to a pride of lions.
The Game Of Thrones editor had been taking photos of the area.
The large cats approached her, attacked, and mauled her to death.
Tourists Were Charged At By a Herd Of Elephants
While on a walk in a Tanzanian wildlife park, Tom Siebel and his guide were trampled by a herd of elephants.
Although nobody died, Siebel did end up with a shattered leg and a crushed iPhone.
We call that some really good luck.
A Safari Guide Was Attacked By a Group Of Leopards
While on safari, a group of tourists was attacked by leopards after they jumped into the open-topped guide vehicle.
Nobody was killed, but one man did end up with very serious wounds on his legs.
The leopards were all put down after the attack.
Two Tourists Were Trampled To Death By a Group Of Elephants
After getting a little too close to a herd of elephants in Tanzania, two tourists were trampled to death.
One of them had been trying to take close-up photos but only ended up scaring the animals.
Sadly, both tourists died from their injuries at the scene.
An Elderly Woman Was Mauled To Death By a Hippo
While on vacation in Tanzania, a 75-year-old woman was mauled to death by a hippopotamus.
Her body was recovered and had dozens of deep teeth wounds all over.
Although her right leg was completely severed, she lived to see another day.
A Family Was Attacked By a Lion In a UK Zoo
When visiting a zoo in the UK, an entire family ended up being attacked by a lion after stepping into his enclosure.
The lion had been deemed ‘friendly’, and people were permitted to view the animal from up close when accompanied by a tour guide.
Luckily, nobody was killed during this incident.
A Tiger Killed a Woman In a Beijing Zoo
When visiting a Beijing zoo, a woman decided to step out of her car while in the tiger enclosure.
The animals did not take long to attack the visitor, killing her almost instantly.
This entire ordeal was caught on camera by onlookers.
A Herd Of Buffalo Stampede a Car In South Africa
In 2016, a herd of buffalo ended up stampeding into a car while it was on a safari.
The vehicle was tipped completely over and almost crushed.
But fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt.
A Gorilla Grabs a Woman
While visiting a local zoo, a woman decided to get a little too close to the gorilla enclosure to take a good photo.
The animal charged at the fence and grabbed the woman by her waist. She was left with plenty of bruises and scratches.
However, the fence surrounding the cage ultimately saved her life.
A Venomous Snake Escapes Its Enclosure In South Africa
A black mamba on display in a South African zoo managed to escape its enclosure and evade zookeepers for two whole days.
Although nobody was hurt, this situation could have led to devastating consequences.
The black mamba is widely known as the most venomous snake in the world.
Summary
Zoos often contain very dangerous animals that should not be kept in close proximity to humans.
For this reason, there have been instances in which these creatures have attacked and killed their handlers and zoo visitors.