How many exotic pets die each year

Now for a discussion of the fatal attacks that have occurred in the United States in the last 25 years due to a non-domesticated feline. It is highly unlikely fatalities will not be recorded online and attract news media attention, so we have some level of certainty that this list is comprehensive. She was alone at the facility at the time.

News reports stated that fire crews have had a difficult time reaching the worker because there are several cats loose within the enclosure where Chapman was found dead. Renee was survived by her husband, Aaron Chapman, a former worker at the facility and their 5-month-old daughter, Noa Elise.

WildCat Haven is the lifetime home for more than 60 neglected, abandoned, and abused captive-born wildcats. Being in the enclosure with a big cat is risky enough, but doing so while alone and cleaning is tremendously dangerous. You should never turn your back to a big cat. The victim had expressed concerns about her safety prior to the day of the incident. Hanson was the victim of an occupational hazard and human error. A lockout cage used to separate the animals from the main enclosure was accidentally left open and the director has stated that the lion likely broke her neck in its excitement greeting her.

Did he run in to her? Did he hit her? We don't know. When you say attacked, it sounds gruesome, but it sounds like he just knocked her down and broke her neck.

The mauling happened in the presence of more than 40 preschoolers who were ushered away from the scene. Another death that has occurred while the keeper was feeding the animal in the enclosure alone, which is extremely dangerous. This animal severely mauled a zookeeper in which was not listed by Big Cat Rescue. Regardless, the zoo was at fault for the enclosure failing to be escape-proof. A common theme of these severe attacks are people entering the enclosure inexplicably. Pfaff opened the cage door to the jaguar enclosure and violated two zoo protocol rules in doing so.

This incident was a tragedy entirely due to human error. The tiger in this incident was underweight and poorly cared for, although the body wasn't consumed. The reported care of the animals suggests extremely irresponsible pet care standards. Hilderbrand who was posing for photos at a family-run animal facility exotic pet owner business called Lost Creek Animal Sanctuary.

While attacks by well-socialized animals are uncommon the risk to people who do not live with animal is too high. During the autopsy, a coroner found that the man had suffered numerous puncture wounds and a broken neck. The lion was discovered running loose on the property and was shot and killed by police. This accident occurred in a USDA-licensed facility, and the circumstances behind it are not clear. Sheriff Dane Mastin said Eller tried in vain to get the tiger off the boy, then ran and got his gun and shot the tiger to death.

But it was too late to save the boy. James Eller is the brother of the two women. Because the family's dog was allowed free access to a tiger and a year-old was working so closely to the animal, it can be assumed that the family keeping the tiger underestimated the danger involved. One tiger grabbed her arm and pulled her into the cage as she was giving them water, and other tigers in the cage pounced on her.

Another keeper tried to help, but things got only worse. The victim was not in the cage, but was bitten severely enough to die from loss of blood. Whether not a mistake was made is not clear. Police shot and killed both tigers in order to retrieve the body. Another incident of a private owner entering the enclosure, the animal was probably agitated as the owner was trying to get it to move.

The pound tiger snatched the boy from the arms of an adult, clamped down on his leg, and dragged him around the enclosure, causing head injuries. Small children should never be in the vicinity of an unconfined sub-adult to adult big cat, and possibly not even medium-sized cats. The man had suffered a fatal bite to his neck and severe injuries to his head, arm, and ribs.

It is unclear to me if the tiger was in the same cage as Lowe and his coworker, but it sounds like they had entered the cage to make repairs. Turning your back on a big cat is a fatal error. When risky enclosure entering is attempted, handlers should be aware of the animal at all times. The handler died within minutes from loss of blood. The tiger was used for photo ops, motion pictures and advertisements.

Another handler was hospitalized with injuries to his knees and puncture wounds. This is one example of the inherent risks that is involved when working with big cats. The attack was quick and without warning, with an animal that was well-trained and human-socialized.

Lauren Casey Villafana entered the cage as her stepfather, Bobby Hranicky, groomed one of his pet tigers. She went to pet a female lion when she was attacked by the male. Young children should never be in enclosures with big cats. Their prey instinct can easily be triggered by small, oftentimes frightened, movements of children.

Territorial defense can also be to blame for the lion's behavior. Young children that live with owners of dangerous animals are the only victims that cannot control whether or not they want to be around the animals, and it is up to the parents to be responsible for them around dangerous activities. Similar bad parenting occurs when children are not supervised around domesticated dogs, which leads to injury and death.

The tiger was shot dead. The animal killed its trainer a few weeks prior. How well a big cat works with humans is often dependent on the individual personalities of the animals. There are numerous big cat trainers but there are no more than 24 fatalities and severe injuries caused by captive big cats in a year time frame, which means this fatality was a freak tragedy with an even more dangerous individual animal.

Circus killed a trainer Wayne Franzen in front of horrified schoolchildren. It was claimed by investigators that Franzen's shiny costume might have triggered the tiger to attack because it hadn't seen it before. She was visiting her son who worked there and had gone to feed the animals, which she reportedly had done before. In my research, escaped animals tend to be more deadly if the victim is in the direct vicinity of its enclosure.

This is probably due to territorial instincts. The friend was severely injured when he tried to stop the attack. Diana Renner 30 was mauled by Clem Dubose's privately owned lion when she inexplicably stepped into the cage while Dubose and a neighbor were renovating the enclosure. The reports suggest she was inexperienced with the animal as she was described as 'scared', causing the lion to react and attack. The body was so battered and shredded so violently that her fingerprints were gone and her face unrecognizable.

Margaret Davis King was homeless and mentally ill, suffering from religious delusions. Her decision to enter the lion's enclosure might not have been suicidal, as one of the only stories I remember from Bible studies in my childhood is that of God shutting the mouths of lions to save a condemned prisoner because of his unshakable Christian beliefs.

The territorial instincts of animals that are not used to human interaction took over and she was killed. No one was at fault in this case. Experienced zookeeper David Marshall ignored warning signs that the tiger was present in the enclosure and entered it, inexplicably. This lapse of judgement was a preventable, occupational hazard.

Everett Cremeans, 45, had removed a bar that held the cage gate in place and was using it to prod the animal when he was mauled Tuesday. The keeper had unlocked a cage door and attempted to prod the animal in another direction when he was mauled. This was a case of human error and bad luck. It's hard to say because it depends on what you call a pet. Many facilities that are called pet owners by activists are licensed or registered by the U. Groups like the Humane Society often paint the impression that tigers and lions are causally purchased by 'regular' people as one might a dog or cat.

Big Cat Rescue states that no one knows how many "backyard" owners that aren't licensed exist in America. In the last 25 years two people have been killed by non-licensed pet owners' animals.

Big cats are inherently dangerous but that doesn't mean they can't be maintained safely and responsibly in a captive environment. The nature of the facility—pet owner, zoological facility, or accredited by respected entities—plays little part in securing the safety of the people who work with the animals and the general public. The importance of sturdy, well-made cages that adhere to the appropriate regulations and the use of staff or owners who are of the appropriate age to be the only individuals working with or maintaining large exotic felines cannot be underestimated.

Cheetahs and other exotic cats not considered 'big cats' are substantially less dangerous. Big cat attacks are mostly preventable, human error and direct contact playing the biggest part in injurious attacks. Swift action taken out by owners, staff, and authorities during the event of an escaped big cat s has kept incidents of the cats harming members of the uninvolved public very low—around 6 cases have been reported in the last 25 years.

Despite the extreme rarity of fatalities and injuries to people who are not in the cage with or in very close proximity to the animals, common sense regulations that address both safety and animal welfare can be carried out in all states that can lower even these numbers yet allow citizens their freedom or choice in business or lifestyle opportunities involving exotic animals. I've written this article honestly, and I obviously support pet ownership, including larger, more dangerous species, if it is ethically and responsibly conducted.

I believe that the truth supports my arguments, and that's why I harbor my brand of opinions. According to the CDC, 52 people reported being bitten by macaque monkeys between to Captive tiger. Non-domesticated felines , such as lions, tigers, leopards, and cougars, are commonly held as pets. These exotic animals are cute and cuddly when they are young but have the potential to kill or seriously injure people and other animals as they grow.

Even a seemingly friendly and loving animal can attack unsuspecting individuals. Many large cats have escaped from their cages and terrorized communities. Several of these incidents have resulted in either serious injury to the persons who came in contact with the animal, or the death of the animal, or both. Reptiles , including all types of snakes and lizards, pose safety risks to humans as well.

Many incidents have been reported of escapes, strangulations, and bites from pet reptiles across the country. According to the University of Florida, more than 7, venomous snake bites are reported annually in the United States it is uncertain how many of these snakes are pets , 15 of which result in death. Moreover, there have been several reported incidences involving strangulation by snakes. The parents were charged with child endangerment and unlawful possession of a dangerous animal.

Exotic animals pose serious health risks to humans. Many exotic animals are carriers of zoonotic diseases, such as Herpes B, Monkey Pox, and Salmonellosis, all of which are communicable to humans.

A large percentage of macaque monkeys carry the Herpes B virus. Herpes B-virus : 80 to 90 percent of all macaque monkeys are infected with Herpes B-virus or Simian B, a virus that is harmless to monkeys but often fatal in humans.

Monkeys shed the virus intermittently in saliva or genital secretions, which generally occur when the monkey is ill, under stress, or during breeding season.

A person who is bitten, scratched, or sneezed or spit on while shedding occurs runs the risk of contracting the disease. Monkeys rarely show any signs or symptoms of shedding, making it nearly impossible to know when one is at risk. Reported cases of infection in humans are very rare; since the identification of the virus in , there have only been 31 documented human infections by B virus, 21 of which were fatal.

Persons who possess or work with infected monkeys are presumed to be in constant peril of potentially contracting the virus. Bites from non-human primates can cause severe lacerations. Wounds may become infected, with the potential to reach the bone and cause permanent deformity. The frequency of bites remains a mystery. Although it is widely acknowledged that non-human primate bites are some of the worst animal bites, little research regarding them exists. Monkeys have also been known to transmit the Ebola virus, monkey pox, and other deadly illnesses.

A large number of reptiles carry salmonellosis. Salmonellosis : Probably 90 percent of all reptiles carry and shed salmonella in their feces. Iguanas, snakes, lizards, and turtles are common carriers of the bacterium. Reptiles that carry salmonella do not show any symptoms, thus there is no simple way to tell which reptiles play host to the microbe and which do not, because even those that have it do not constantly shed the bacterium.

Salmonellosis associated with exotic pets has been described as one of the most important public health diseases affecting more people and animals than any other single disease. The CDC estimates that 93, salmonella cases caused by exposure to reptiles are reported each year in the United States.

Salmonella infection is caused when individuals eat after failing to wash their hands properly after handling a reptile or objects the reptile contaminated this can be either indirect or direct contact with infected reptiles.

Salmonella bacteria do not make the animal sick, but in people can cause serious cases of severe diarrhea with or without blood , headache, malaise, nausea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and even death — especially in young children, the elderly, and those with immune-compromised systems. In addition, salmonella infection can result in sepsis and meningitis particularly in children as well as invade the intestinal mucosa and enter the bloodstream causing septicemia and death.

In March , the CDC contacted every state health department to determine whether state regulations existed for sale of reptiles and distribution of information about contracting salmonella from reptiles. Forty-eight states responded — three CA, CT, MI had regulations requiring pet stores to provide information about salmonella to persons purchasing a turtle. He says he never received any training to make such evaluations.

When inspectors do happen upon a shipment that clearly warrants action, such as injured or dead animals, they can issue fines, Ventura says. Hoping to update the rules to protect millions more imported animals, the Fish and Wildlife Service drafted regulations in the mids to define principles for humane transport of reptiles and amphibians.

Weissgold, then a wildlife trade policy specialist with the service, was part of the effort. A group of stakeholders from inside and outside government participated, and eventually they settled on a new set of guidelines, Weissgold says.

But before the process to legally adopt the regulations began, the pet industry began to push back behind the scenes to pressure officials not to adopt the changes, Weissgold continues. PIJAC members also undertook a letter-writing campaign to protest the changes. The Fish and Wildlife Service ultimately dropped the effort. Telecky, who had been present at the meetings, also remembers this turn of events.

Still, most U. The government is still interested in creating regulations to ensure the humane transport of reptiles and amphibians, but other priorities simply continue to take precedence, says Frank Kohn, a biologist with the service specializing in CITES. Many conservationists and policymakers are only beginning to awaken to these challenges, but conservation biologist Sekar says the trend is in the right direction.

As scientific evidence that animals think and feel grows , so does the public call for improving animal welfare. Still, he says, not enough exotic pet sellers and buyers think about this. Merchants are focused on profits, which may be reduced if high standards for animal welfare were imposed, Sekar says.

But political will in the U. Should the U. The Netherlands and Belgium have already implemented positive lists for exotic pet mammals, and Altherr and others are calling on the EU to apply the same approach for all exotic pets. A positive list in the U. She encourages people shopping for an exotic pet to ask whether it was bred in captivity or captured in the wild. Wildlife Watch is an investigative reporting project between National Geographic Society and National Geographic Partners focusing on wildlife crime and exploitation.

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