18 Worst Things That Ever Happened At The Zoo

The 18 worst things that ever happened at the zoo is the real-life equivalent of “The Planet of the Apes.” If you plan on going with the family to the local zoo, much like i did over the weekend with my family, you must read this. One wrong step and you might find yourself inches away from animals that can kill you in seconds. From gorillas smashing kids, to tigers savoring human meat, we have everything in between.

You will end up like us after reading this article. Are we the beast, for holding innocent beings in captivity and holding a grudge on them when thing go wrong? Are we the ones behind bars, getting cheap thrills from watching creatures crave for freedom?

1. Karate Enthusiast Receives Darwin Award For Jumping In The Lions’ Den

When the karate master finished the course by saying “you are strong enough to kill animals with your bare hands” one of the students took the words for granted.

32-year-old Mr. Ellie broke into the Melbourne Zoo in the middle of the night and went straight into the lions’ den. He was so confident in the recently acquired karate skills that he forgot who is the king of the animal world.

It is pointless to say it did not end well for him. Zookeepers found only his hands, enough to serve identification purposes. In honor of his act of courage, they gave him the Darwin Award postmortem.

Now that we got you started, it’s time to move to the most incident happening at the zoo in the last couples of years.

2. Harambe Gets Shot And Becomes An Internet Martyr

The killing of Harambe is by far the most viral killing that ever happened at the zoo.

The story is simple. A 3-year-old fell in the Gorilla World habitat and attracted Harambe’s attention. The 200 kg male dragged the defenseless toddler through the stream before they put him down.

It is safe to say that the zealous zookeeper did more than to shoot Harambe, one day after his 17th birthday. He practically divided the Internet in two, pushing people to choose sides.

Even now, most people believe that the Cincinnati Zoo incident could have been avoided in the first place. Or at least it could have been resolved differently.

While rabid fans turned Harambe into a martyr, a victim of other’s negligence, one thing is for sure. Visitors should remember that despite the fences, cages, and other safety features, any visit to the Zoo can turn nasty.

Not only kids put themselves in harm’s way and end up startling animals. Some adults make us wonder if we are truly the superior species here.

3. Depressed Woman Narrowly Survives A Polar Bear Attack

The zoo is no place to take your problems!

We don’t doubt that animals are good listeners, but disturbing them while they are eating never ends well. A 32-year-old woman leaped over the bars at Berlin Zoo, just to be closer to the polar bears she had always admired.

The depressed woman was bitten several times before the staff could retrieve her back to safety. The weird part is that there is a footage of the whole deal and that someone took sharp photos depicting the scramble is equally baffling.

Most shocking is the fact that the polar bears continued to play with the woman’s cardigan just after she left their enclosure. Fat and juicy, she would have been a welcomed change of diet.

The next incident is so disturbing you’d better send the kids away. Also, you could easily skip #4 if you just ate.

4. Animals Released From A Private Zoo Are Slaughtered Downtown

Big cats on the loose, and everything ended with a mass killing.

That is how most news bulletin started covering the story of the Zanesville massacre. It all began when a man set loose his entire private collection of wild animals. Terry Thompson was depressed and committed suicide just minutes after acting savior with the captive animals.

The town of Zanesville, Ohio became the scene of an incredible hunt. The National Guard intervened to prevent the wild beast from hurting the population.

The carnage that followed meant that 49 animals were slaughtered, including 18 Bengal tigers, 17 lions, six black bears, two grizzlies, three mountain lions, two wolves, and a baboon.

Gruesome scenes of the place where the authorities gathered the corpses looked like a failed Noah’s Ark.

The good part of this otherwise sad day for animal lovers was that no humans died. Although incidents do occur, the animals were more focused on exploring the world they only saw from behind bars.

5. Binky Takes A Bite From A Visitor

Unfortunately, Binky is one of the animals involved in incidents which is no longer alive today.

Nevertheless, Binky died in style. The polar bear was involved in two separate feuds with visitors in 1994, just one year before passing away.

Binky’s claim to fame started when he mauled a woman that wanted photos from close-by. Australian tourist Kathryn Warburton was probably so thrilled to see a polar bear for the first time that she ignored the big sign that says not to get close to the bars.

Binky broke her leg and caused serious other injuries. Zoo keepers were stunned to see that the bear kept the woman’s shoe in his mouth for three consecutive days, refusing both food and water.

The thrill of the hunt made the old bear feel alive again. But that thrill is nothing compared to what a real estate agent went through at the zoo.

6. Real Estate Agent Jumps From A Monorail In The Tigers’ Cage

Although it did not turn deadly, the story of the real estate agent that jumped from a speeding monorail directly in the tiger’s cage will amaze you.

We get it that people like to trespass and get closer to the animals they admire. But why risk it all? The physics we remember from high school taught us that it’s not safe to take a fall, especially if it gets you in the tigers’ enclosure.

The Bronx Zoo staff were swift to react and save the youngster’s life. However, the daredevil ended up severely battered. A punctured lung, broken arm, and leg were the war wounds he proudly brought back home to his mother.

Villalobos is one of the lucky ones. Jumping from speeding vehicles and fooling around with genuine tigers cost many others before him their lives.

We know you loved the bear stories this far, so here’s another one!

7. Woman Tosses Excess Fingers To Hungry Bears

A visit to the Wisconsin Zoo turned into a nightmare for a family taking their 3-year-old granddaughter to see the bears. Contrary to what you might expect, the mother did not mishandle the baby this time.

She put herself in incredible danger when she attempted to feed black bears through the bars. The large animals are passive and depressive most of the time. However, one of them decided to kill boredom by taking more than the food offering.

Last time we checked human fingers are great appetizers for bears digging their way into a human body. However, the 47-year-old woman can count herself lucky for losing just the fingers.

Her thumb and forefinger fell victim, while two other had to be partially amputated. As far as we see it, the hard part is explaining little Suzzy that she is stuck with a dumbass grandmother.

Bears, tigers, gorillas. We have everything, right? You are craving for a worst case scenario involving wolves, so we invite you to read the next story.

8. Wolf Enthusiast Gets Eaten Alive By A Pack

You must be extremely unlucky to die after just three days in the job.

For wildlife biologist Trisha Wyman, a lifetime passion turned deadly when the wolves she was hired to overlook gave in to their killing instincts.

Trisha’s body was found mostly intact, a rather strange detail if you consider the fact that wolves are always hungry. However, police officers had to fire to be able to take the corpse away.

The case is even more bizarre because the 23-year-old biologist sensed a degree of hostility coming from one of the wolves and confessed to her fiancé. It was enough for the aggressive wolf to lead the attack. Once the smell of blood was in the air, the others could not resist the urge.

Zoos all over the world have their share of trouble. Just take a look at what happened to a janitor hired by the Singapore Zoo.

9. Sumatran Tigers Go Mad On Cleaning Day

Cleaning Day at the zoo is that time of the week when incidents are most likely to happen.

Why? Because they send in janitors with little to no skills regarding peaceful interactions with the animals held captive. As far as we see it, animals consider the people removing their feaces as intruders that claim their territories with brooms and buckets.

32-year-old Nordin Montong stood no chance when his cleaning routine disturbed the three Sumatran tigers held at the Singapore Zoo. The man was caught unprepared, and visitors that happened to stop by the tigers’ den witnessed a tragic and disproportionate confrontation.

Before anyone could intervene, Nordin has already suffered severe injuries. The tigers are alive and well, and still on display.

The drama involving captive animals is not restricted to zoos. Sea worlds are often the perfect stage for execution with public.

10. Devastated Spectators Watch Trainer Slammed To Death By Tilikum The Killer Whale

They don’t call them killer whales for nothing.

Tilikum is arguably the most notorious murderer currently living in captivity. The Icelandic orca is responsible for three deaths, making many argue why they keep her alive.

Well, the answer is simple. Animals didn’t want to be captured and showed to the public for fun. Anyone stepping in the arena alongside Tilikum was well aware of the risks involved.

We will talk about the animal’s most recent incident, one that happened in front of a live audience. Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old trainer, was rubbing Tilikum’s belly when the 6-ton beast pulled her into the pool and kept it there for several minutes.

Autopsy revealed that drowning was the primary cause of death, with violent traumas also accounted.

It’s time to move on to another incident where the sheer size of the animal left no chance of survival.

11. Mila The Elephant Crushes The Owner Of The Zoo

All animals look peaceful when there is a fence separating them from the human keepers.

However, the killing instincts resurface once all barriers are off. We can say that happened with Mila the elephant and the owner of the zoo, Dr. Schofiled. The 3.7 tons animal exploited the keeper’s lack of attention and grabbed her with the trunk.

What followed was a tight embrace that gradually put the woman into a dreamless slumber. The horrific scene happened at Franklin Zoo, in New Zealand.

Mila was not punished for her misbehavior. In fact, things went in the opposition direction. Elephant enthusiast raised $1.5 million from donations to have her moved to the San Diego Zoo, where she would enjoy the company of other elephants.

It helps to know that Mila spent most of her life in captivity and did not see another member of her species for three decades.

Being killed by an elephant rarely produces a bloodbath. Not the same can be said about a tiger’s way of doing business. Check out the next bad thing that happened at the zoo!

12. Tatiana The Tiger Mauls Zoo Visitors

Tigers are nature’s most skilled killers, and another zoo incident shows again how dangerous they can be in the case of an attack.

There was a warning side ahead of the event at the San Francisco Zoo that involved Tatiana, the tiger. Before killing one visitor and seriously injuring two others on Christmas Day 2005, the Siberian tigress ruined a zookeeper’s arm during feeding.

It is never clear how animals escape their outdoor enclosures. However, in most cases, there are some visitors teasing the animals and driving them mad enough to find a way out.

Tatiana’s rampage turned the otherwise peaceful zoo into a battleground. The staff had ordered the evacuation and a complete lockdown before the police stepped in to hunt the beast down.

You will be sad to now that the victim was a 17-year-old. Describing the marks left on him would be sickening. It’s enough to say that tigers always go for the head and neck.

The next zoo incident is surprising because it was caused by an animal we all know as friendly and fun to pet.

13. Gu Gu the Panda Gets Nasty With Visitors

Gu Gu is not your typical soft and cuddly giant panda.

The Beijing Zoo animal was swift to sanction trespassers on three separate occasions. It might just happen that Gu Gu acquired a taste for human blood and violence.

The first incident occurred in 2006 when a drunk man jumped the fence and went for a panda hug. The idiotic visitor approached the bear from behind, scaring him to death and causing a violent reaction. The man and the animal bit each other until zoo officials stepped in.

Blame popular culture for picturing panda bears as cute and harmless. Two more incidents left idiots complaining that Gu Gu acts not like he was supposed to. The panda was swift to sanction the intrusions by biting bone-deep.

The last case saw zookeepers using tools to pry Gu Gu’s jaws open. And to think we buy stuffed versions of this vicious killers.

Stay tuned for another classic example of showing up drunk at the zoo.

14. Monkeys Prey Upon A Drunk Man

Brazil is a dangerous place and innocent fun turned into a bloodbath when a man ended up in the “wrong part of town.”

Being drunk and visiting the zoo don’t go well together. We all know that, but one Brazilian man wanted to test it on his tab.

Mr. Dos Santos, a mechanic from Sao Paolo, Brazil, decided it would be fun to continue his heavy boozing at the Sorocaba Zoo. He breached into an enclosure and approached a group of spider monkeys, hoping to make new pals.

However, the little primates did not like the idea of being disturbed. Whether they acted territorial or were too annoyed by the man’s pungent smell, what followed could have turned deadly.

A severely intoxicated human stands no chance against the winged and fearless monkeys. Witnesses had nothing to do than see Dos Santos get his ass kicked. The animals bit and scratched him several times, with the whole incident caught on camera.

Enough with the funny stories. The next case will make you think twice about taking the kids to the zoo.

15. Hungry African Wild Dogs Split A Child

Seeing your 2-year-old mauled to death at on zoo day certainly counts as the worst day of your life.

The story is straightforward and old as time itself. Reckless mom drops her toddler beyond the safety line and watches how he is ripped apart. The only variable here is the beast “responsible.”

A pack of African Wild Dogs appreciated the change in diet and mauled the poor little boy. The good part of the tragedy is that the zookeepers had time to recover the body before being completely dismembered.

The aftermath of the incident was more than shameful. The mother sought a scapegoat as she decided to sue Pittsburgh Zoo for negligence. Later investigations revealed nothing else than another case of bad parenting.

16. Jabari The Gorilla Is Shot And Killed After Assaulting Children

Harambe was by no means an isolated incident. Gorillas are known as troublemakers at the zoo, and back in 2004, it was Jabari’s turn to steal the headlines.

The 150 kg male primate escaped from its enclosure and led to the full-scale evacuation of the Dallas Zoo. One woman and 3-year-old son were amongst the victims, with reports describing Jabari take the toddler in his mouth, and smash him against the zoo walls.

Luckily no one was killed, but the hunt to recapture Jabari lasted enough hours. After failing to tranquilize the gorilla, zookeepers called the cops, who had no option than to shoot and kill Jabari.

No video footage exists of the incident, but watching “The Planet of the Apes” might show give a glimpse of the horror installed when dangerous animals take over.

Nothing can prepare you for the next gruesome zoo incident!

17. Young Giraffe Killed, Dissected, And Fed To Lions

Sometimes, the worst thing that can happen at a zoo is not an accident that takes everyone by surprise.

The staff at the Copenhagen Zoo meticulously planned the public dissection of Marius the giraffe, despite the media storm that was heading their way.

Many aspects make the offensive operation inexcusable. Not only visitors were allowed to see the insides of the mighty animal scattered all over the place, but some were able to identify parts of it in the lions’ den. Yep, they fed poor Marius to the big cats!

Count the score of children unprepared for such degree of mutilation, and you get the full picture. What is odd is the stubbornness of the zoo management.

Before they slaughtered Marius, the Copenhagen Zoo received hundreds of petitions and even offers from zoos around the world that were willing to host the animal.

The reason they killed Marius will shock you. The 2-year-old male giraffe was considered genetically unsuitable for breeding.

We hope the next zoo incident can avenge Marius for you.

18. Melody The Tapir Bites Off Arm

We have to go many years back in time (1998) to tell the story of what happened one Friday morning at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Zookeeper Lisa Morehead experienced injuries worthy of a horror movie at the hands of the otherwise friendly tapir called Melody. The incident left the woman without an arm and with facial scars that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

If you are not familiar with the animal, you can imagine a pig as big as a donkey with a funny looking nose. Although herbivores, adult tapirs have a stature that can make them a threat to humans.

The reason why Melody attacked was simple. She perceived Lisa as a threat to her baby. Animals of all sizes are prone to such a reaction, and even the victim accepted that she was clumsy and made a terrible mistake.

Melody remained on display at the zoo, attracting more tourists after the incident.