Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 460,592 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,240 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,086 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,240 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,086 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,210 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 460,592 cutting edge ideas.

12 Dangerous Encounters

Animal Attacks and Pet Mishaps End in Disaster

— February 24, 2009 — Eco
Sometimes, scary pet incidents have a ‘no harm done’ outcome, sometimes not.
With more and more people keeping wild creatures as pets, negative incidents are
likely to be on the rise. Animals attacking humans is sad because of the harm that
is done to the humans and because the animals usually end up dead as a result.

Dog bites are some of the most common pet attacks. According to dogsbite.org, in the U.S., nearly 5
million people are bitten by dogs each year. Some of those are fatal, others inflict
disfiguration or other physical damage, as in 2005 when Isabelle Dinoire’s dog
ripped her face to shreds, and the woman had to have a face-transplant to return
functionality. (see related trends.)

As if traditional pets don’t pose enough of a challenge, many people insist on
keeping exotic pets or interacting with wild animals as if they were pets. Some
results of those relationships follow:

1. Travis, the chimp of Old Navy commercials, ripped a woman’s face off this week.
She was assisting the chimp’s owner who was trying to get the chimp to return to
the house when the chimp attacked. 2009

2. Melissa and Anthony Melendrez face felony abuse and neglect charges. Their
18-foot pet python, Eve, bit and coiled around their 3-year-old son rendering him
unconscious. Only the boy’s feet were visible when Mom noticed. 2009

3. Animal handler Peter Getz was mauled to death by a liger when the handler
entered the animal’s cage while it was feeding, a stiff penalty for violation of the
animal sanctuary’s rules. 2008

4. Steve Irwin, famous for his wild-animal daring, was pierced though the heart by
a stingray while filming for a show. 2006

5. St. James and LaDonna Davis were beaten by chimpanzees while visiting another
chimp they had raised. Mr. Davis was severely disfigured. 2005

6. Steve Aibel was body-slammed multiple times by a killer whale while performing
with him at Sea World. 2004

7. A bengal tiger named Ming had to be removed from a Harlem apartment after
biting its owner, Antoine Yates, on the arm and leg. The tiger now lives on an Ohio
refuge. 2003

8. In Dayton, Ohio a poisonous pet african rhino viper killed its owner Michael
Peterma with a single bite. 2003

9. Timothy Treadwell lived with grizzly bears for 13 summers. His luck ran out
when a bear decided Tim would be a tasty snack. 2003

10. Joan Byron-Marasek ran a tiger refuge but New Jersey officials shut it down
after one of the tigers mauled the woman’s husband. 2003

11. Siegfried and Roy’s tiger show came to an end after Roy fell off stage and was
critically injured when one of the tigers dragged him away. 2003

12. Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall are the sole bright spot in this list.
They returned to visit a lion they’d purchased as a pet after sending him to an
African refuge. They got a great-big cat hug and no one was injured. 1972
Trend Themes
1. Rise of Exotic Pets - As more people keep wild creatures as pets, there is an opportunity for digital platforms to provide information on how to properly and safely care for them.
2. Pet Attack Prevention - In light of the many dangerous pet encounters, there is an opportunity for pet businesses to produce natural and non-toxic solutions that can help to prevent animal attacks and reduce pet stress levels.
3. Pet Insurance - With the occurrence of fatal pet attacks, there is an opportunity for pet insurance companies to offer policies that feature accident coverage for pet owners, including those who own exotic or wild pets.
Industry Implications
1. Pet Care - The pet care industry could benefit from emphasizing the need for responsible pet ownership and educating the public about the risks of keeping exotic or wild animals as pets.
2. Animal Training and Behavior - Animal trainers and behaviorists can capitalize on the need for natural stress relief solutions for pets in order to mitigate the number of pet attacks.
3. Insurance - There is an opportunity for insurance companies to offer policies that cover pet attacks, specifically tailor-made for those who own exotic or wild pets.
2.2
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness