Latest news with #animalAttack
News.com.au
12-05-2025
- News.com.au
‘Not aggressive': Petting zoo worker killed after ‘rough-housing' with kangaroo
The brother of a South Carolina petting zoo owner was apparently beaten to death by a kangaroo after possibly going into the Aussie animal's pen to 'rough-house' with it, authorities said. Eric Slate's body was discovered inside the facility just before midnight on Friday night at 5-Star Farm near Loris — about 30 miles north of Myrtle Beach, the Horry County Coroner's Office said. Slate, 52, had a 'history' of stepping into the kangaroo enclosure and 'rough-housing' with it, which is what was happening at the time of his death, local council member Mark Causey told News13. 'It just went south,' he said. The kangaroo was still in its enclosure at the family-owned farm when Slate's body was found. The farm recently posted a picture of a large red kangaroo named Mr Jack, adding, 'He loves neck scratches and will take treats from your hands.' It's not clear which animal killed Slate, but he was found with 'multiple blunt force injuries.' Adult male red kangaroos can weigh nearly 90kg and grow up to 1.8m tall, with powerful feet for kicking. In 2022, an elderly man was killed by his pet kangaroo in Western Australia, but that was believed to be the first time a roo killed a person in nearly 90 years in the country. However, plenty more deaths have been caused by kangaroos in road crashes, which has led to fatalities. 5-Star Farm offers an interactive petting zoo with exotic animals, including camels, wallabies and kangaroos, owner Robert Slate wrote in a Facebook post. 'Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers,' he said. The kangaroo is not aggressive and has not been euthanized, Causey added. 'It's not an aggressive animal. It's very sad … It was not the animal's fault,' he said. Experts are coming in this week to ensure the enclosure is safe and the animal is OK, he said. South Carolina has some of the loosest restrictions in the US on the ownership of exotic animals. It is one of only three states where kangaroo ownership isn't prohibited.
CTV News
11-05-2025
- CTV News
Man severely injured saving his wife from a polar bear attack in the Far North
A man was severely injured Tuesday when he leaped onto a polar bear to protect his wife from being mauled in the Far North. A man was severely injured Tuesday morning when he leaped onto a polar bear to protect his wife from being mauled in the Far North community of Fort Severn. A neighbour showed up soon after and shot the bear, which then retreated to the woods. A spokesperson for the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service said the man is recovering from severe injuries to his arm and legs and is expected to make a full recovery. The attack took place in the early morning in the community, which is on the coast of Hudson Bay. Police were dispatched when they received reports of gunshots. 'Police were also made aware of a possible bear sighting in the same area,' the release said. 'When police arrived on scene, they located a deceased polar bear and learned an adult male had been transported to the community nursing station to have his injuries assessed and treated.' It emerged that the couple left their home around 5 a.m. to find their dogs. 'While in the driveway of their home, a polar bear lunged at the woman,' police said. 'The woman slipped to the ground as her husband leapt onto the animal to prevent its attack. The bear then attacked the male, causing serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his arm and legs.' As the attack was still taking place, a neighbour arrived with a firearm and shot the bear several times. The bear retreated to a nearby wooded area where it died from its injuries. In an email, police spokesperson Scott Paradis said polar bear sightings in the area are common. 'An attack is rare but not unheard of,' Paradis said. He said the injured man is 'expected to make a full recovery. His injuries are severe, though.' Police continued to patrol the area to ensure no other bears were roaming the community, Paradis said.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Mystery as rare but cute animal batters South Carolina man to death
A quiet evening at a rural South Carolina petting zoo turned tragic when a man was somehow attacked and killed by a kangaroo after entering its enclosure. Eric Slate, 52, was found dead just after midnight early Saturday morning with 'multiple blunt force injuries' inside an enclosure containing wallabies and kangaroos at 5 Star Farm, according to the Horry County Police Department. While the exact cause of death is still pending autopsy results, Horry County councilman Dennis DiSabato confirmed that a kangaroo was directly involved in the incident, Fox 8 News reported. It was unclear on Saturday what exactly the man was doing inside the enclosure. Authorities emphasized that all animals on the property have been accounted for and secured, assuring the public there is no ongoing threat. Robert Slate, Eric's relative and the owner of 5 Star Farms, issued a brief statement asking for privacy and assuring the public that none of the animals escaped their enclosure, WPDE News reported. The tragic and highly unusual case is still under active investigation, with police promising to release more details once the autopsy results are in. Saturday's horrific incident isn't the first time wildlife enthusiasts around the world have found themselves in fatal encounters with their favorite animals, even in seemingly safe and controlled environments. Feral instincts still remain present in a number of these caged beasts, where even the glass screening and metal fencing can not contain their primal urges. While some incidents have taken place in the privacy of the animal's enclosure, several beasts have unleashed their fury in front of horrified children outside of their protective barriers as they bring their victims to the brink of death. In one case, a man in Thailand was mauled by a tormented bear as it pulled him into its cage and began gnawing off chunks of his flesh. Eight years ago, a Chinese woman was snatched by a ravenous tiger after stepping out of her car at a safari park near the Great Wall of China. In 2017, a young Chinese man was killed by a tiger un front of his horrified wife and child after getting dragged into its zoo enclosure. The incident occurred at the Youngor Wildlife Park in the city of Ningbo, about 125 miles south of Shanghai. An onlooker took footage of the tiger dragging the man under some trees and sinking its teeth into his neck as two other big cats lurked behind. Zoo visitors raised the alarm soon after he was attacked by the predator but it took zoo staff about an hour to grapple the man from the tiger's firm grip, according to reports from the time. The tigers were eventually driven away by firecrackers and a water canon, said a report in the Beijing Youth Daily, which added that the man was rushed to the hospital but tragically died shortly after. One tiger in the enclosure was shot dead by local forestry bureau staff. A horrified witness said the tiger wouldn't allow the man to escape: 'I saw the tiger mauling the person, whose face was covered with blood. Every time he sat up, the tiger pushed him down again.' The reports said it was not clear how or why the man, whose wife and child had come to the park with him, had gotten into the tiger enclosure. In June of 2023, a furious hippo started charging at its zookeeper after he tried to break up its tight with another territorial bull inside their enclosure. Heart-stopping footage showed the man - who had entered the enclosure to feed the animal - scrambling out of the pen in a desperate bid to avoid a fatal attack at the Changsha Ecological Zoo in China's Hunan province. Amid the rush to run for his life, the zoo keeper slipped over the wet concrete surface entrance with the hippo ready to launch what could have been a devastating assault. With the furious hippo caring its huge teeth in a threatening display, the man used his arms and feet to prevent the hungry animal from closing in on him. The hippo momentarily left its keeper alone as it continued to feed on greens but as the man stood back up, it charged at him again just as he was leaving the enclosure. This time, however, he was able to run to safety. In June of 2023, a furious hippo started charging at its zookeeper after he tried to break up its tight with another territorial bull inside their enclosure It was understood the zoo keeper had entered the enclosure to feed the animal before two hippos began attacking each other. Footage showed the territorial bulls going at each other before the zoo keeper flew out of the pen. The zoo keeper had tried to break up the fight by distracting one of the hippos, but was sent running when they turned their fury on him. Astonishingly, the zookeeper escaped unharmed following the horror clash on Sunday, September 24.
