Luke Yeoman with one of his King Cobra Snakes.
Luke Yeoman was a specialist King Cobra keeper, He had a snake farm sanctuary in Eastwood Nottinghamshire UK, Comprising 41 specimen snakes which he planed to open shortly. Unfortunately while cleaning a glass cage he was bitten by a King Cobra snake a highly venomous creature that can kill a person in less than 30 minutes if anti venom cannot be administered. Luke died within 6 minutes staggering out of the enclosure while paralysis was setting in. The bite venom was so rare not even the Liverpool school of tropical medicine had a test.
King Cobra - Ophiophagus hannah
We are a nation of animal lovers, Most of us have pets inside and outside the house, There are plenty of zoo's and people keep specimens of all kinds. From specialist farms to small pet shops animals are kept, Wild animals roam the lands and depending on where you are in the world must take extreme caution from attack. Animals are unpredictable one moment they are adorable loving creatures the next they might turn and become your worst enemy, Here are some good examples of when not to put trust in your pets.
46 year old Yeoman was passionate about his snakes and wanted to protect and conserve the species. There natural habitat is south east Asia and India but the destruction of trees and plants is harming the snake population. He would even risk his life at very close contact as he never doubted a snake would kill him.
King Cobra Facts.
Can reach up to 18 feet in length and is the longest of all venomous snakes.
The bite of roughly 7 millilitres has enough poison to kill 20 people or even a large elephant.
They can attack from as far away as 7 feet at a ferocious speed.
Most active during the daytime
Only species in the world that builds nests
Can live for over 20 years.
Great climbers and swimmers.
Snake charmers use King Cobras.
Timothy Treadwell was an amateur filmmaker environmentalist and bear enthusiast who along with his girlfriend Amy Huguenard lived at the Katmai national park in Alaska. For 13 summers he would walk and play with grisly bears native to that area. Everyone knew him as the bear man and he was a documentary film maker too. Born April 29th 1957 also founded a bear protection organisation called Grizzly People.
Treadwell recorded over 100 hours of bear footage which was later made into a movie called Grizzly Man. His girlfriend was not keen on being so close to bears and wanted to get away from katmai, He set up a campsite next to a salmon stream as it would increase his chances of a sighting, Bears love to catch fresh fish as they come down the river usually eating there brains and discarding the carcass.
He loved the outdoors and shunned the modern way of life big cities cars and the modern environment. He normally would leave the park as bears go into hibernation but decided to stay another week. It was to be his last as he was attacked by a grizzly bear killing him and his girlfriend. On October 6th 2003 he was found along with his girlfriend badly eaten and mangled.
A very sad end to someone that truly loved bears and there behaviour but just got to close for comfort which ultimately killed him.
Amy Huguenard
The mother of Jaren Hare testified against her daughter telling the court she had made it clear that Shianna was not safe and that she offered to buy the snake and lock it up safely. The jury's foreman said it was very likely the child would be harmed by the snake and the parents had a duty to keep little Shaianna safe which they failed to do.
Darla Napora who lived in Pacifica California was a massive Pit Bull terrier lover and kept two herself called Gunner and Tazi. She was a member of the Dog Lovers Responsible For Pibulls Group and it's role is to educate people that pit bull type dogs are not dangerous animals.
Darla was in bed at the time with her two dogs when she was attacked by Gunner fatally. She was found in the front room with neck injuries and massive blood loss, She was also preganant. When Greg Napora arrived home he found his wife suffering terrible injuries and Gunner was covered in blood. He managed to get the dog into the yard and it was eventually shot by police. She was buried with Gunners ashes.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
American Pitbull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Dogo Argentino
American Bulldog
Tosa Inu
Dogo Canario
Cane Corso
Fila Brasileiro (Brazilian Mastiff)
Akita Inu
Dogue de Bordeaux
Bandog
Bullmastiff
Doberman Pinscher
Ca de Bou (Majorca Mastiff)
Kuvasz
German Shepherd
Mastino Neapolitano
Rottweiler
Chow Chow
Japanese Mastiff
Mixtures of wolves
Hybrids of the above-mentioned breeds
Many breeds of dog are banned in different countries for specific reasons usually for being vicious and dangerous. In the UK Staffordshire bull terriers are not banned but in the USA they are, Each country will have there reasons. The list to the left is for USA.
Darla Napora
On July 1st of 2009 Shaianna Hare a two year old was asleep in her cot when a python kept as a pet by her parents accidentally wrapped itself around her head and she was strangled. The python was a 2.44 meter or 8ft 6in albino Burmese python and had not been fed for a month. The snake had been kept in a loosly secured tank with only bungee cords and safety pins to stop it's escape. The tank was also only 12ft away for Shaianna's room and there was no door to stop the snake from entering.
21 year old Jaren Hare the toddlers mother and her live in boyfriend 34 year old Charles Jason Darnell of Central Florida were found guilty of child neglect Third Degree murder and manslaughter and were sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Shaianna Hare strangled by a Albino Burmese Python in her crib she also had fang marks to her forehead when the snake seized her as they do in nature.
Burmese Python Facts.
One of the five largest species in the world, Native to tropical South and Southeast Asia, They are often found near water and can be semi aquatic but will be found in trees also. The Burmese python is Carnivorous and eats birds and mammals. The snake uses its sharp rearward-pointing teeth to seize its prey, then wraps its body around the prey, at the same time contracting its muscles, killing the prey by Constriction.
These snakes are very powerful and have a lot of strengh they also need a lot of food and a large and safe enclosure for proper housing.They can also inflict severe bites and need one handler for every meter of snake, As this snake in question was 2.44 meters that would require nearly three people for safe handling. Jaren Hare and her boyfriend treated the snake like any other pet as it had already escaped the tank on four other occasions but they had no idea it would strangle there child it never occured to them how dangerous the situation was very sad.
Authorities taking away the Albino Burmese Python, Note Shaianna was found by Charles Darnell and he had stabbed the snake to get it off but it was too late, The snake was taken to a snake sanctuary and recovered from it's injuries.
Interestingly Burmese pythons, famous invaders of the Florida Everglades, can take down animals as large as alligators and deer. But the snakes pose little threat to humans and it's rare that the pythons will attack people without first being provoked, scientists say.12 Mar 2014, Gypsy the python carried out this attack because it had not been fed for a month and would of been hungry.
On February 20th 1991 Keltie Byrne was working part time as a Sealand of the Pacific trainer. She was a marine biology student and a competitive swimmer. The pool contained Tilikum a bull orca and two female orca's Haida II and Nootka IV. She had slipped and fallen into the pool but was surrounded and submerged by the three whales, She was dragged around the pool and was unable to surface. She did at one point make it to the side of the pool but the orca's pulled her back in as she screamed for help. Other trainers tried to save her by throwing a life ring but all was in vain as she failed to surface for the fourth time and was recovered several hours later
Tilikum performing, Born December 1981 Died January 6th 2017 aged 35, Tilikum was a large bull orca; the largest in captivity, He measured 22.5 feet (6.9 m) long and weighed about 12,500 pounds (5,700 kg, His pectoral fins were 7 feet (2.1 m) long, his fluke curled under, and his 6.5-foot-tall (2.0 m) dorsal fin was collapsed completely to his left side.
On July 6th 1999 another death occured. Tilikum was moved to Seaworld in Orlando Florida after the tragic death of Keltie Byrne. This time a man known as Daniel P Dukes was found dead in the pool with numerous contusions wounds and abrasions that covered his body. He had evaded security that day by staying in the park after close the night before and decided to go for a skinny dip in the pool with the orca. Crazy though it sounds he was found dead over Tilikum's back and the autopsy revealed no traces of drugs or alcohol were in his body and it was recorded as drowning.
On February 24th 2010 another fatality occured with Tilikum, This time it was 40 year old seaworld trainer Dawn Brancheau. Born April 16, 1969 – February 24, 2010, Brancheau was a senior animal trainer at Seaworld. She had worked with orcas at Seaworld Orlando for fifteen years including a leading role in the show Shamu. Shamu is a brand name for a whale caught in 1965 being the fourth orca ever captured and the second female, Unfortunately she died in 1971 after only six years of captivity. Later shows were called Shamu shows in dedication to the whale.
She was very close to the whales and did some incredible stunts in the water with the whales, But it would of been amazing to watch but incredibly dangerous, Any animal can change in a second no ones safety can be guaranteed, She risked her life for the entertainment of others and ultimately paid with her life. Following this accident trainers no longer go into the water with the orcas at Seaworld park shows for safety reasons.
On February 24th 2010 Brancheau was performing a dine with shamu show with Tilikum the orca whale, Tilikum was the largest orca at Seaworld Orlando, At the end of the show she was rubbing Tilikums head and was lying down on a platform submerged one foot in the water with her face close to Tilikums. Suddenly Tilikum grabbed either her ponytail or her arm and dragged her into the water. She couldnt get back to safety as Tilikum had a tight grip on her keeping under water,
She died in terrible circumstances, her spinal cord was severed, and she had sustained fractures to her jawbone, ribs, and cervical vertebra. Her scalp was completely torn off from her head, her left arm had been ripped off near the shoulder, and her left elbow and left knee had been dislocated. Employes tried in vain to distract Tililkum with nets and food but it was in vain. If she had not received those terrible injuries she most likely would of drowned anyway.
SeaWorld Shamu show called "Believe" filmed at SeaWorld San Diego, California on March 3, 2009.
Keeping Killer whales in captivity is a widely debated subject as some deem it cruel to keep these large mammals in man made pools and made to entertain for the general public. Whales in the wild can swim up to 100 miles a day and they are to big and intelligent to live in confined spaces. But Seaworld is doubling there pools to allow more space, PETA which opposes keeping whales in captivity suggested using seaside sanctuaries. On March 17th 2016 Seaworld announced the end of there breeding programme and theatrical shows will also end marking a closure to what was. Orcas in the wild can live a very long time with an estimated maximum lifespan of 70 years for males and 100 years for females, At Seaworld the average age is 13 years which is a big difference. Tilikum sired 21 calves and 10 are still alive at seaworld. Whales are at risk of dying at sea from pollution and nets and seaworld operates its conservation programme in cooperation with the department of the interior, National marine fisheries service and state agencies. Since it's inception Seaworld parks has rescued or helped over 29000 animals including ill orphaned abandoned and injured species. These include dolphins pilot whales birds and sea turtles. But seaworld has lost a lot of money from the 2014 announment, Seaworld orca shows from now on will be natural habitat shows not theatrical ones and the orcas will not get as close to the trainers again.Instead, it's a 22-minute educational experience that explains how killer whales eat, communicate and navigate, though the animals still receive cues from trainers. As of 2017 people have said the shows are not as exciting as before but they are certainly safer, Seaworld are also losing 320 employees and are building a new park in Abu Dhabi. This could signal the end of whale shows but 22 million people go to seaworld every year so the whale shows are definitely what some people want. There will always be opposition from animal rights groups peta and other agencies but thats entertainment.
Mark Voegel was a keen Arachnologist and keeper of various spiders snakes Gecko's and termites.He lived in Dortmund Germany and was a bit of a loner and never went outside of his apartment. Inside however the entire space was filled to the brim with his pets including over 200 spiders some poisonous a boa constrictor and several poisonous frogs. All were kept in Vivariums Terrariums and other tanks. In 2004 he was accidentally bitten by one of his female pet black widow spiders called Bettina. The heating elements had exploded and opened the lids to the tanks allowing the spiders and termites to escape. Unfortunately it proved fatal as he passed away on his sofa and was not found for nearly two weeks. Concerned neighbours alerted authorities after a horid stench was eminating from his apartment. When police arrived they walked into a Zoo and jungle as it was so full of plants and animals. They found Voegel laying over the sofa half eaten and decomposed. Spiders were coming out of his mouth ears and stomach, he had webs all over his body and pieces of his flesh had been torn off by his lizards who were free to roam and were not housed, This then gave the spiders some food to take back to there webs and termites were crawling all over him too. The creepy crawlies had made a home out of his place and the scene was reminiscent of a horror movie. Authorities have said that the conditions Voegel kept his pets in was equivalent to animal cruelty.
There were open cages and terrariums everywhere - all bathed in a weird green light. It was horrible
Local expert Gabi Bayer said Voegel should never have been allowed to keep many of his pets.
There are 31 species of Black Widow Spider (Lactrodectus) Including a Red and Brown Variety. Female widows are larger than males and are the ones that bite and inject poison. Black widow females have the distinctive red or orange hourglass markings on the underside of the abdomen. Black widow spiders rely on their silk webs to see whats going on around them as their eyesight is very poor. A bite from a black widow female can cause muscle cramps severe pain hypertension weakness and sweating, They only inject a small amount of venom are are very rarely fatal.In over 23000 documented Lactrodectus envenomation cases that occured in the US from 2004 to 2008 it was noted that not a single death occured as a result of a black widow bite. Only 1.4% of victims suffered suffered major effects of the venom. Mark Voegel should of had time to get medical treatment help but maybe he thought he would be alright and didnt bother until it was too late. Maybe he commited suicide and it was planned as how could so many animals get out of the tanks at the same time. But for whatever reason this story tells you not to get to close to your dangerous pets.
Baby Tokay Gecko
The fossil record's earliest termite specimen dates back to the Cretaceous period. Termites break down tough plant fibers, Termite workers and soldiers are blind as they spend there time in dark damp nests and there is no need to see. But reproductive termites can see as they need to fly to find mates and new nest sites. When a threat is detected soldier termites bang their heads against the nest walls to send warning vibrations throughout the colony. A termite queens abdomen is capable of producing over 30.000 termite eggs per day, she can live for decades in a well protected nest and colony, In her life time a queen can lay almost a quarter of a billion eggs over a 20 year period.
King Termite