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Bear Attacks
The following is a partial listing of incidents
involving captive bears since 1990. These incidents have resulted
in the killing of 26 bears; 13 human deaths, including those of
8 children, and more than 40 human injuries.
February 13, 2002/Bulgaria: A 27-year-old
man was critically injured when he was mauled by a "dancing"
bear tied up outside a shop.
December 11, 2001/Racine, Minn.:
A 10-month-old bear cub escaped from Bearcat Hollow animal park
and damaged a neighboring farmhouse.
August 26, 2001/Marshallville, Ohio:
A 4-year-old black bear attacked a 2-year-old boy who was climbing
around the bear cage. After being bitten and clawed, the boy was
rushed to the hospital, where he was admitted for
reconstructive surgery to his calf. The bear was his grandfather's
"pet," and the family disposed of the bear after the incident.
April 10, 2001/Vitoria, Spain: Two
brown bears attacked and killed an attendant at feeding time at
a private zoo. Two years earlier, a bear in the same enclosure had
mauled a woman who lost a leg from the attack.
April 10, 2001/Verndale, Minn.: A
man was hospitalized in stable condition after he was mauled by
a "pet" bear kept by his family in a backyard corncrib
as he was repairing the cage.
November 14, 2000/Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan:
A 7-year-old boy was mauled to death when a bear at a zoo grabbed
the child's leg, dragged him into a cage, and tore his body to pieces.
Police shot and killed the bear.
June 27, 2000/Chimkent, Kazakhstan:
A polar bear at a zoo bit off an 11-year-old girl's leg as she was
feeding the animal. Authorities suspected that the bear was agitated
by 104-degree weather.
June 24, 2000/Studen, Switzerland:
A keeper at a private zoo was badly mauled, suffering severe leg
and arm injuries, as he was feeding a bear. The bear was shot dead.
June 11, 2000/Natural Bridge, Va.:
A visitor to Natural Bridge Zoo was bitten and/or scratched by one
of a group of three Asiatic bear cubs.
June 6, 2000/Broken Arrow, Okla.:
A 3-year-old black bear at Safari's Exotic Animal Sanctuary who
had been spayed and declawed viciously attacked a handler when he
entered the cage for feeding. The handler was hospitalized with
bite wounds to his arms and legs and a severed artery. One gash
was 4 inches long, half an inch wide, and half an inch deep. Handlers
routinely enter bear cages to "hug" the animals at this
facility. This is the same bear who attacked a different handler
on June 1.
June 1, 2000/Broken Arrow, Okla.:
A 3-year-old black bear at Safari's Exotic Animal Sanctuary attacked
a handler, who required 20 stitches after being bitten on both wrists.
March 30, 2000/Nuremberg, Germany:
Four polar bears were shot and killed after they were found loose
at the Nuremberg Zoo. Zoo officials claimed that someone released
the bears from their cages.
December 13, 1999/Ellijay, Ga.: A
500-pound, 7-foot Himalayan bear attacked a man feeding the bear
at a roadside zoo called Ellijay Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary.
The man was hospitalized in serious condition and underwent surgery
to his arm. The bear was shot and killed.
September 18, 1999/Siberia: A 7-year-old
girl feeding bear cubs in the central Siberian zoo was knocked over,
pulled into the cage, and mauled to death. Two bear cubs were shot
dead by zookeepers.
July 14, 1999/Vitoria, Spain: A fully
grown brown bear grabbed a young woman and dragged her into his
cage at a private zoo. Doctors later had to amputate her right leg.
March 30, 1999/Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan:
A circus trainer was attacked by a bear when the woman slipped and
fell during a performance. The trainer sustained an arm injury and
scratches to her back.
September 5, 1998/Lyon, France:
A veteran bear-handler for circuses was mauled to death while feeding
two bears he had considered killing because of their aggressive
behavior. Police shot and killed the bears.
July 9, 1998/Teheran, Iran:
A bear in a zoo grabbed a 4-year-old girl walking past the cage,
pulled her into the cage through the food slot, and killed her.
June 10, 1998/Gelendzhik, Russia:
A 5-year-old boy was feeding candy to bears at a miniature zoo when
one of the bears attacked him and snapped off his leg.
April 2, 1998/Reform, Mo.:
A 600-pound "pet" black bear kept in a 15-by-15-foot cage
for a decade bit and nearly severed the hand of a 6-year-old boy
who tried to pet him on his grandfather's farm. Doctors reattached
the boy's hand, which was connected by 11/2 inches of skin. The
bear was killed.
March 30, 1998/Moscow, Russia: An
11-year-old boy whose legs slipped through the top of a brown bear's
cage at the Central Station of Young Naturalists was mauled, ripping
most of the flesh from his legs. Police shot the 3-year-old bear
28 times, killing him, in order to free the boy. The boy died several
hours later at a hospital from leg and chest injuries and a heavy
loss of blood.
July 23, 1997/Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine:
A bear at a zoo attacked a 12-year-old girl as she attempted to
pet and feed the bear. The bear grabbed hold of the girl's arm,
which later had to be amputated. The bear was destroyed.
April 18, 1997/Vinogradov, Ukraine:
A bear with the Lutsk Circus was gunned down with submachine-guns
and pistols after he escaped from his cage and ran through the streets.
March 18, 1997/Grand Rapids, Mich.:
A bear with Tarzan Zerbini Circus performing for Shriners bit off
the tip of a 2-year-old child's finger. The child had to undergo
surgery to repair her finger. There were no safety barriers around
the bear cages, and 30 other children had been petting the bear.
December 29, 1996/Coal County, Okla.:
An 8-year-old girl was clawed by a neighbor's 6-foot-tall, 300-pound
"pet" black bear when she tried to pet the animal. The
girl suffered a broken arm and deep gashes or bite marks.
September 28, 1996/Whitmire, S.C.:
An 8-year-old boy lost part of his finger when he was slashed by
his great-grandmother's "pet" bear while helping to feed
the animals.
September 3, 1996/Timisoara, Romania:
A caged bear ripped off the arm of a 5-year-old boy at a zoo when
the child tried to feed him. The boy's 12-year-old sister suffered
a fractured arm when a second bear locked in the same cage attacked
her as she attempted to save her brother.
August 29, 1996/Northern Caucasus, Russia:
A bear at the Teberda natural preserve grabbed a 4-year-old boy,
dragged him into his cage, and mauled him to death. Police shot
the bear.
August 28, 1996/Vienna, Austria:
An 8-year-old brown bear broke free during a circus act and ran
amok in the city streets, biting a pedestrian, an animal keeper,
and a security guard.
July 31, 1996/São Paulo, Brazil:
Two cars crashed to avoid striking a Siberian bear after she escaped
from a traveling circus. The bear caused panic on one of the city's
busiest streets as she ran loose for 15 minutes.
July 2, 1996/Bogotá, Colombia:
A 9-year-old girl was hospitalized in serious condition after a
bear with Hollywood on Ice Circus escaped from his trainer following
a performance and attacked the girl.
June 29, 1996/Leipzig, Germany: A
brown bear bit off the arm of a 9-year-old girl at a zoo.
June 7, 1996/Santiago, Chile: A bear
with a circus mauled a 3-year-old girl, clawing her arm and shoulder,
when she approached the bear's cage.
December 19, 1995/Moscow, Russia:
A bear with Moscow Circus fatally mauled an attendant after the
trainer opened his cage.
June 5, 1995/Calarasi, Romania: A
9-year-old boy was grabbed and eaten by two bears as he went near
their cage during a school outing to a zoo.
May 21, 1995/Spring Hill, Kansas:
A woman was hospitalized after she was bitten on the thigh by her
"pet" black bear when she entered the bear's cage.
May 3, 1995/Zibo City, China: A 7-year-old
boy was hurt by a caged black bear at a zoo as he attempted to feed
the bear. The boy later won a lawsuit against the zoo.
March 26, 1995/Huzhou City, China:
A 10-year-old boy was bitten on the ankle and left permanently handicapped
by a caged giant panda at a zoo.
September 15, 1994/Ulan Bator, Mongolia:
A 13-year-old girl who either fell or was pulled into an animal
enclosure at a zoo was mauled to death by nine bears. The police
opened fire, killing seven of the bears.
September 12, 1994/Anchorage, Alaska:
A polar bear at the Alaska Zoo mauled a teenager who got too close
to his cage. The 19-year-old was hospitalized in serious condition
with leg injuries. This is the same bear who mauled a woman in July.
July 30, 1994/Anchorage, Alaska:
A polar bear at the Alaska Zoo badly mauled a woman who got too
close to his cage to take photos.
November 2, 1993/Warsaw, Poland:
A bear with the Big Circus appearing in a TV studio to promote the
circus attacked a studio employee and the president of the circus.
September 30, 1993/Prophetstown, Ill.:
A "trained circus" bear inflicted bite wounds to a man's
arm and legs when the man tried to pet him through the cage. The
bear was later killed. The same bear who mauled a person in October
1992.
September 22, 1993/Newberg Township,
Mich.: A man was fatally mauled by his brother-in-law's "pet"
black bear when he entered the pen for feeding. Police killed the
bear.
August 24, 1993/Vladivostok, Russia:
A caged bear, considered to be tame and friendly, attacked and killed
his keeper when the man entered the cage to feed him at a forestry
reserve. This was the second time in two years that a bear killed
a keeper at the reserve.
July 28, 1993/Patterson, N.Y.: A
23-year-old declawed and defanged Himalayan black bear used in circuses
escaped from an enclosure and disappeared into nearby woods.
June 28, 1993/Lipetsk, Russia: A
bear ripped off a 10-year-old boy's arm at a zoo when the boy reached
into the cage.
November 30, 1992/Moscow, Russia:
A bear with a circus broke out of his cage and severely mauled two
women. The women were hospitalized in critical condition, and police
killed the bear with 16 shots.
October 1992/Prophetstown, Ill.:
A "trained circus" bear mauled a man.
September 4, 1992/Kharkov, Ukraine:
A polar bear mauled to death an 11-year-old boy at a zoo.
February 25, 1992/Dane County, Wis.:
A man underwent surgery to repair torn tendons in his ankle after
he was attacked by a bear while participating in a bear "wrestling"
event sponsored by Jungleworld Animal Rental Agency.
December 21, 1991/Yalta, Russia:
A bear escaped from a zoo and nearly mauled to death a little boy.
October 29, 1990/Galesburg, Mich.:
A 10-year-old boy, his mother, and his grandfather were mauled by
one of the family's "pet" bears while cleaning the cages.
March 28, 1990/Cincinnati, Ohio:
A keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo had her right arm bitten off by a
polar bear as she was feeding the animal. A jury later awarded the
keeper nearly $3.5 million. The keeper charged that the zoo had
made the 800-pound bear hostile by keeping him in a 10-foot cage
where he had no lighting, recreation, or ventilation.
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