7 Exotic Pets That Ended Up Eliminating Their Owners

Most of us are able to admire wild animals in their natural habitat, but unfortunately for some people this isn't enough. Some individuals feel compelled to keep wild animals as pets, and this can have disastrous consequences. Not only is it almost impossible to give most wild animals the enrichment that they need in captivity, but wild animals are called wild for a reason, and over the years many exotic pet owners have been killed by their own pets. In today's video we'll be going through some of the strangest cases from around the world, and to start off with we'll be heading over to Pennsylvania. The American black bear is the most successful bear species in the world, having an estimated population of around 750,000 to 900,000 across North America. In the bear world they aren't exactly known for being the most aggressive species towards humans, but this has actually aided them in a world dominated by man. Because these bears are easier to live with, they aren't as heavily persecuted as brown bears, and they actually do very well in urban and semi-urban areas by feeding on the food that we leave unguarded. Since the year 2020 there have only been 11 fatal black bear attacks across North America, and in the vast majority of cases these mammals choose to avoid humans. Attacks often occur when people start to feed the bears or if the bears lose their fear of humans, and in captivity they have been known to turn on their owners. Now compared to most other countries around the world, the US has very relaxed laws regarding which animals you're allowed to keep as pets, and you'll struggle to find a pet black bear outside of the country. Back in 2009 a 37 year old woman was keeping a black bear in a 15x15 foot cage, but this bear named Teddy wasn't the only wild animal that she had. She also kept a mountain lion and a tiger on her property, and you'd assume that these predators are far more dangerous than Teddy. On one tragic day in 2009, while the woman was cleaning Teddy's cage, he decided to attack and she had no time to escape. She would usually throw dog food at one end of the cage to distract Teddy, and this allowed her to clean the other side of the cage. On that fateful day something must have switched in Teddy's brain, as he decided to attack and kill the woman that had raised him from a cub. Now it would be easy for some to blame her for keeping wild animals in the first place, but it's clear that she was an animal lover. Most people who choose to keep wild animals as pets do it because they have a love or a passion for animals, but they often fail to see that keeping them in captivity isn't good for the well-being of the animals. The woman's husband shot the 160 kilogram Teddy once he was summoned to help, and Teddy fell to the floor motionless after taking a few shots. Unfortunately this tragic case just illustrates that most wild animals can never truly be tamed, as Teddy was raised from a cub and still he turned on his owner. If Teddy was raised by his own kind and lived a normal bear life in the wild then it's likely that he never would have become a killer, but unfortunately his life was cut short because of his actions. For our next section we'll be heading over to South Africa and we'll be taking a look at one of the most dangerous mammals in the world. Most animal lovers around the world are aware of how dangerous the hippo is, but for those of you who are unaware they claim the lives of around 500 people a year. This total is higher than most of the apex predators that can be found across the African continent, and this is why it's a very bad idea to try and keep one as a pet. What makes these animals so dangerous is the fact that they are completely unpredictable. One minute they appear to be docile and sluggish animals, and the next they are charging at you or trying to capsize your boat. Despite the incredible danger of being near these giant mammals, a few people have tried to domesticate and raise them in the past. One South African farmer attempted to do this on his 400 acre farm, but it all ended in tragedy back in 2011. The farmer had adopted the hippo as a calf after it got too big for its previous owners, and he affectionately called the hippo Humphrey. As the hippo grew up it appeared to be tame, and the farmer would even go on to say that the hippo was like a son to him. He was even able to ride on top of the hippo as it ran and swam through lakes, which really was a bizarre sight to see. Before he met his end the farmer was quoted saying that Humphrey was a little dangerous, but that he trusted him with his heart and he wouldn't harm anybody. Unfortunately this just further proves the point that it's impossible to predict what a hippo can and will do, as back in 2011 the farmer's body was found submerged in a river on his property. After paramedics were able to take a look at him it was clear that he had been bitten a few times by Humphrey, and it's possible that he drowned him too. After the fatal attack, the farmer's neighbours claimed that they tried to warn him, and that Humphrey wasn't as tame and docile as he appeared to be. Most of us choose to have domesticated animals because they can be easily trained and they are a joy to live with, and cases such as this only prove why keeping wild animals is a bad idea. Ironically some of the farmer's words unintentionally prove this point, as he claims that it's not only domesticated animals that you can have a relationship with, as he has a relationship with the most dangerous animal in Africa. Hopefully this story will stop any other people that have the crazy idea to keep a hippo as a pet, as it's likely that further attempts will end the same way. On this channel I do my best to fill your brains with useless and peculiar animal facts, but if you actually want to improve your thinking skills and become a better problem solver then you should use Brilliant. Brilliant helps you excel in subjects such as math and computer science, with visual, interactive problem solving and personalised practice. Personally my favourite thing about Brilliant is that the lessons are engaging and fun, so instead of reading from a textbook it feels more like playing a game which helps you to learn. This interactive way of learning is not only more entertaining, but research has also shown that it's far more powerful than watching lectures or videos. 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It would be possible for most celebrities to properly look after their big cats because of the extortionate amount of money that they make, but it's a lot harder if you're a random man from the Czech Republic. Back in 2016, a 33 year old man bought one male lion in Slovakia, and later on in 2018 he bought a female for breeding purposes. The two lions were kept in separate cages that he had built by himself in his back garden, and this was despite the fact that he had been denied planning permission to build the pens, and was subsequently fined for illegal breeding. The conflict with the local authorities reached a stalemate after he refused to let anyone onto his property, but they did want to seize the lions from him. They were unable to intervene as there was no obvious sign of animal cruelty, and they were struggling to find a suitable place for the lions to be moved to. Now you have to be quite a strange individual to break the law and transform your garden into a lion breeding facility, and he wasn't great at shielding the public from his dangerous animals. One day he was taking his lioness for a stroll on a leash when it was hit by an oncoming cyclist, but thankfully both the lion and the cyclist were okay. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for the owner a year later in March of 2019, because this was when his beloved lioness mauled him to death. It was not uncommon for him to enter his lion's enclosures and get hands on with them, but on that day something went very wrong. The owner's body was found in the lioness's enclosure and the door had been locked from the inside, and once the police arrived both lions were shot. The police claimed that shooting the lions was the only safe way to get to the man's body, but of course he was already dead by the time they got to him. The local mayor didn't exactly have sympathy for the man, as he said and I quote Today's incident will perhaps finally help to resolve this long-term problem. After this fatal attack, the Czech government started working on changes to the law to stop this from happening again, because if they had of intervened then both the man and his lions could have been saved. Hopefully this story will persuade some people to give up on their lion breeding dreams, but thankfully most people aren't interested in doing this in the first place. For our next section we'll be heading over to Texas, and we'll be looking at a species that most people don't really view as a dangerous animal. The red deer is one of the largest deer species in the world, and it has a massive range across Eurasia. Their closest living relative is the elk, and at one point in time they were even considered to be the same species. To most people deer aren't really viewed as dangerous animals to be around, but if they feel threatened or if they've been spooked then they can quickly turn into killers. The antlers on the stags aren't just for show, and a 67 year old man from Texas learnt this the hard way back in 2010. He was keeping a European red stag on his property with a few other animals, and he would often enter its enclosure to feed it. On that tragic day, the red deer suddenly turned on him and trapped him against a fence, and then it continued to gore him a few times and trample him. Even though red deer are prey animals, they have to deal with some of the most formidable land predators on the planet, so they are fully capable of defending themselves when they feel like they need to. During the rut, red deer stags can become very aggressive due to high testosterone levels, and during this time it's a very good idea to keep your distance. In the wild, the autumn rut is one of the best times to watch these animals, as this is when the stags chase the females and fight one another. This is yet another reason to keep your distance and try to seek out these animals in their natural habitat, as it's almost impossible to see similar behaviours in the confines of captivity. For our next section, we'll be heading over to Florida, but the animal in question comes from a completely different part of the world. The southern cassowary is the largest of the three cassowary species, and it's also one of the largest birds in the world. They spend most of their days in rainforests peacefully eating forest fruits, but if you choose to mess with one of these birds, then you could soon be meeting the grim reaper. Cassowaries are renowned for their deadly kicks, with their strong inner claws being more than capable of piercing your body and subsequently killing you. Despite their deadly reputation, they rarely choose to attack, with there only being two recorded fatalities since records began. One was 100 years ago in Australia back in 1926, and the other was in Florida in 2019. A 75 year old man had been keeping a cassowary along with a few other exotic animals on his property, but on one fateful day, his giant bird turned on him. It turns out that the cassowary's attack wasn't completely unprovoked, as it appears that the elderly man might have fallen, and in the confusion, the cassowary might have attacked in self-defence. After the attack, the man was transported to a nearby hospital, but unfortunately he soon succumbed to his injuries. It's unclear what happened to the bird following the tragic incident, but he wasn't shot on the spot, like many of the other unfortunate wild animals on this list. The fact that there have only been a few fatal cases proves that the cassowary isn't a particularly dangerous animal if you give them space, but they demand to be treated with respect. They really are the closest thing that we have to a jurassic park style velociraptor, but instead of attacking a t-rex, they choose to feed on colourful forest fruits. For our next section, we'll be heading over to Indonesia, and we'll be focusing on an animal that often views humans as a food source. Most people don't need to be told that crocodiles are dangerous animals to be around, with an estimated 1,000 people falling victim to them each year worldwide. The saltwater crocodile is the largest and one of the deadliest species to humans, and they claim the lives of people across Indonesia. One of the worst affected areas in recent years has been Bangka Island, as the tin mine scarred landscapes can easily hide these giant reptiles. Because of their immense size and the dangers involved in being close to them, it's very rare to find somebody that has a pet saltwater crocodile. Thankfully, there are often laws in place to stop people from doing this, but if you're really determined, then the laws might not stop you. One Japanese man had been illegally keeping a 700kg saltwater crocodile on his farm on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and this giant croc was named Mary. In January of 2019, one of the workers on the farm was feeding the giant reptile, when she fell into the enclosure and was quickly snatched by Mary. The 44 year old woman didn't really stand a chance, and after the incident, the croc was transported to a nearby conservation site. The authorities stated that they were aware that there was a crocodile being illegally kept as a pet on the farm, but every time they tried to remove the reptile, the gates were locked, and they were refused entry to the premises. Of course, the unlucky woman was not at fault as she was just doing her job, and instead it was the fault of the Japanese owner that wanted to keep such a dangerous animal. The man in question could not be tracked down at the time the story broke, but hopefully justice has been served, because he has an innocent woman's blood on his hands. There have been a few other cases in Southeast Asia where people have fallen into crocodile enclosures and lost their lives, and in some cases this even results in revenge killings. These giant apex predators belong in the wild, and it's really not a great idea to get anywhere near them. For our final section, we'll be making the short trip over to Australia, and we'll be taking a look at a story involving one of Australia's largest invasive species. Camels were originally introduced into Australia by the Europeans to aid in transport, but once they served their purpose, they were just released into the wild. Because camels are extremely hardy and are perfectly adapted to desert environments, they thrived in their new home, and some sources list their population in Australia to be around the a million mark. Because they have a massive negative effect on the ecosystem, there have been multiple culling efforts over the years, but really this has had little effect on their overall numbers. In some cases, the Australian farmers have chosen to keep these giant mammals as pets, and back in 2007, one farmer gifted a camel to his wife for her 60th birthday. Tragically, less than a year later, the camel in question would accidentally kill her, and this was after it tried to mate with her. The 150kg camel knocked the elderly woman to the ground, and while trying to mount her, it crushed her and stepped on her head. The camel had apparently been acting erratically leading up to the incident, with it trying to mount other animals on the farm such as the family's goat. Camels are not naturally aggressive in the wild and tend to avoid humans, but because it was only young and it was raised by the family, it was reckless and fearless in the presence of humans. This just shows us that even relatively peaceful wild animals can easily or accidentally claim a human life. So really, it's a good idea to stick to more conventional pets such as cats, fish and possibly a beautiful German Shepherd called Arnie. Once again thanks to Brilliant for sponsoring this video. You can use brilliant.org slash suki to get a full 30 days free, and I really recommend that you check them out. Feel free to let me know your thoughts and suggestions down below. But for now, thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.