I’ll be honest. I am reluctant to do a page on the classic big cat attack because all are due to people’s stupidity and lack of sensibility to the wild cat’s instincts and behavior. Although making that point is not politically correct in some circles. But I succumbed. Below is a list of 20 big cat attacks and the outcome. The outcome is commonly worse for the cat despite just behaving normally.
In this article I am not only using the phrase “big cat” to mean the roaring cats:- lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard. I also include large cats such as the cougar.
The criteria for selection is that each attack is on a person and the person died. Not all attacks – in fact relatively few – end up with a dead person. It is the cat that is more likely to be shot dead as a consequence of human folly.
I have chosen at random 20 examples. I could choose many more but, in essence, they are all the same – stupid or careless behavior by people. Big cats have huge home ranges in the wild. To restrict them to very small areas is stressful.
There are two sources for this information: Tom Chester’s website and Big Cat Rescue. Thank you. Tom Chester puts the record straight regarding Puma attacks. They are extremely rare. Big Cat Rescue has an astonishing list of big cat attacks. All, as mentioned, illustrate the carelessnes of people in relation to captive big cats. There is one exception; the person who wanted to commit suicide by being killed by tigers.
