Number 10 Bethany Lynn Stephens In February of 2018, Virginia woman Bethany
Lynn Stephens was viciously mauled to death by her two pet pit bulls. The 22-year-old’s
body was discovered by her father in a wooded area, not far from his Goochland home. She’d
been missing for two days after taking the pit bulls, Tonka and Pac-Man, for a walk.
The man said the dogs were aggressively guarding his daughter’s remains and that he couldn’t
get past them. Officers were called to the scene and subsequently described the gruesome
discovery. The corpse had been torn to pieces and the pit bulls were still chewing on Stephen’s
ribs. There were puncture marks on her skull and traumatic injuries to her throat and face.
The county’s sheriff claimed he hadn’t seen anything like it in nearly 40 years of
law enforcement. While some of the young woman’s relatives suspected foul play, the coroner
ruled it out. Defensive wounds were found on her arms and hands from trying to push
back the attacking dogs. It’s believed that the pit bulls, which were in her father’s
care, had been underfed and isolated. The stress is thought to have caused them to turn
on Stephens. With the family’s consent, both pit bulls were euthanized.
Number 9 Marius Els The hippopotamus is one Africa’s most dangerous
animals. By some estimates the aggressive and unpredictable hippo kills more human beings
than any other creature on the continent. It’s a massive beast with a brutal bite
which, despite its size, can sprint at 20 mph. Needless to say that such formidable
forces of nature wouldn’t make good pets. South African farmer Marius Els took his chances
and raised a hippo ever since the animal was five months old. Els once claimed that Humphrey
was like a son to him and even had a lake built for the hippo. He was proud of having
developed a relationship with Africa’s most dangerous animal. Els would take rides on
the back of the 2,700-pound beast. He did note that Humphrey had an aggressive side
and would sometimes throw him off. The hippo, on one occasion, even tried to attack two
canoers. Then, in November 2011, Els became his pet’s victim in a grizzly attack. Its
exact circumstances are unknown but it concluded with Humphrey brutally biting into his keeper’s
body. A hippo’s jaws are strong enough to break a crocodile in half so there was nothing
that Els could do against the massive beast. His mangled remains were discovered submerged
in a river that ran through the 400-acre property. Number 8 Kelly Ann Walz
Kelly Ann Walz from Pennsylvania owned several exotic pets capable of taking her life within
seconds. Throughout the years, her hilltop menagerie housed a tiger, a mountain lion,
a jaguar and a black bear named Teddy, whom she’d raised since he was a cub. One tragic
Sunday, in October of 2009, Walz was cleaning Teddy’s cage in the same manner she always
would. The woman tossed a shovelful of dog food to one side of the cage to keep Teddy
busy as she tended to the cage. The 350-pound bear suddenly attacked Walz, biting her repeatedly
and ripping into her body with its claws. The attack was witnessed by her young children
and the children of neighbor Scott Castone. As they started screaming, Castone arrived
to find the bear atop Walz. He shot and killed the beast with his handgun but, by that time,
the woman had already sustained fatal damage. Number 7 Marvin Hajos
When talking about the world’s deadliest birds, most of us tend to think about eagles,
falcons or giant owls. In fact, the title of “world’s most dangerous bird” belongs
to the flightless cassowary. It stands up to 6ft 6ins tall and weighs over 130 pounds.
It’s not only a giant but one of its toes features a dagger-like claw of nearly 5 inches.
Cassowaries can release powerful kicks and inflict lethal damage with their claws. Even
though the risks of owning a cassowary are well known, Florida man Marvin Hajos decided
that they’d make good pets. Moreover, he believed that breeding them would provide
a lucrative business opportunity. He kept the prehistoric-looking birds in separate
pens and would periodically check their enclosures for eggs. It would eventually prove to be
a fatal habit. One aggressive female cassowary saw that Hajos was going for her eggs and
attacked him. The hulking bird swiftly brought down the 75-year-old with a powerful leg strike.
He was found slumped over between the cassowary enclosures. Paramedics were called to the
scene and were careful in approaching Hajos as the cassowary was still aggressive. The
elderly man succumbed to his injuries while at the hospital.
Number 6 Mary Matthews When Dale Matthews arrived to his home in
Waynesville, Ohio, he opened the door to a horrifying scene. His wife, Mary Matthews,
had been brutally killed by the family’s two Great Danes. The woman had been left alone
with the dogs after her husband was taken to jail, a few days prior. It’s unclear
for how long she’d been dead. The police described her as having an alcohol addiction
and prescription medication was found at the scene. A heavily blood-stained baseball bat
was also discovered along with bloody towels, several changes of clothes and a pair of sweat
pants with numerous puncture marks. There was blood on the steps, couch and even the
walls of the home. Matthews’ legs were riddled with wounds and a chunk of her ankle was missing.
The evidence suggested that, after being mauled, she was able to fend off the dogs and get
them outside. However, in her altered state of mind, the woman didn’t realize the severity
of her injuries. Instead of immediately calling the emergency services, Matthews likely tried
handling things herself and succumbed to blood loss. The Great Danes may have turned on their
owner due to the stress of their living conditions. They were reportedly underfed and mistreated
as the house’s deck was completely covered in dog faeces.
Number 5 Klaus Radandt At his Indiana farm Klaus Radandt owned several
animals that aren’t native to North America, including llamas, emus and ostriches. He was
also the keeper of a wildebeest family, formed by a male, a female and their cub. Also known
as gnu antelopes, these animals inhabit the African continent. In the wild, they are preyed
on by hyenas, lions, cheetahs and crocodiles. This doesn’t mean that these creatures are
easy prey. They weigh several hundred pounds and possess large, curved horns. Radandt’s
wildebeest had had their horns removed but that failed to make them less dangerous. The
Indiana farmer was eventually attacked and trampled to death by the wildebeest patriarch.
The 500-pound male first delivered a brutal headbutt and then stomped on his keeper. Emergency
workers arrived at the farm, but couldn’t revive Radandt. The official cause of death
would be ruled as blunt force trauma to the head and chest. It’s still unclear why the
man had been charged by the animal so brutally. One theory is that the attack had occurred
during the wildebeest mating season, a time when these animals become more aggressive.
It’s possible that the male didn’t like the fact that Radandt was in the proximity
of his mate and saw him as a threat to be eliminated.
Number 4 Alexandria Hall Alexandria Hall’s neighbors knew that she
had pets, such as birds and rabbits, in her Cincinnati home. What they didn’t know was
that she was also an avid collector of reptiles, including several poisonous snakes. 44-year-old
Hall was ultimately bitten by one of the serpents, which was later identified as an urutu pit
viper. According to her neighbors, the woman drove herself to the hospital. The police
were surprised that she’d managed to arrive at the emergency room on her own. Unfortunately,
she ultimately succumbed to envenomation. The police went to check her house alongside
reptile experts from Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens. They found the deadly serpents secured
in plastic containers while non-venomous reptiles were free roaming around the residence.
Number 3 Muhammad Ngah One man was killed and his son was hospitalized
after they were attacked by a southern pig-tailed macaque in Malaysia. 72-year-old Muhammad
Ngah had been training the monkey to go up trees and fetch him coconuts. In fact, there
are schools in Malaysia which train monkeys specifically to retrieve the fruit, as a boost
to local economy. It’s a century-old practice that begins with creating an interest for
coconuts in young monkeys and then teaching them movement and verbal commands. The speculation
is that Ngah’s monkey was slightly too old to train. The macaque attacked its keeper,
biting his wrist. In doing so, the animal tore through a major artery causing the victim
to bleed to death. Ngah’s son, Mohd Zakaria, went to check on him. Upon seeing his father
lying on the ground, he was attacked as well. His terrified screams were heard by a passerby
who came to his aid. Mohd Zakaria was reportedly bitten on the neck but ultimately recovered
from his injuries. Wildlife authorities were called and they managed to tranquilize and
capture the rampaging monkey. Number 2 Pam Weaver
For her 60th birthday, Noel Weaver gifted his wife, Pam, with a camel. The Australian
couple had raised other uncommon pets on their property, including emus and kangaroos. Before
long, the young camel became difficult to control despite having developed a close relationship
with its keeper. It behaved erratically and, at one point, reportedly tried to mate with
one of the goats on the property. Then, in 2007, the animal was wandering loose in the
backyard while Pam Weaver was making dinner. She went to check on her camel, and was fatally
injured. It was subsequently reported that the camel had no intention of hurting the
woman. Some animal experts argued that it might have been trying to mate with her. Nevertheless,
the woman’s body was crushed under the 330-pound weight. Her husband found her lifeless body
and noticed hoof marks on her face and arms. The family decided not to kill the ten-month-old
camel and saw what had happened as a tragic accident.
Number 1 Antoine Yates For a few years leading up to October of 2003,
there were rumors that a tiger was living in Harlem, in New York City’s Manhattan
borough. Most of the locals, however, believed it to be nothing more than an urban legend.
Then, in late September, Antoine Yates arrived at the emergency room of the Harlem Hospital
Center with deep bites on his arm and leg. The 31-year-old claimed they’d been inflicted
by his pet pit bull. The sheer width of the bite marks suggested much larger jaws. Yates
checked out of the hospital on October 3, the same day that officers from the NYPD approached
his apartment while following up on a tip. They heard loud growls coming from inside
the 5-bedroom home residence and decided not to enter it. The police drilled a hole through
the wall and used a camera to look inside as one officer rappelled from the roof to
look through one of the windows. They eventually managed to locate Ming, the 425-pound Siberian-Bengal
tiger living inside. The giant feline was shot with a tranquillizer and taken to the
animal control transport truck by a team of over six men. More incredible still, the officers
also found a 5ft 6ins alligator, named Al, living in one of the bedrooms. The police
questioned Yates’ neighbors, but they had no idea they’d been living in the same building
with a tiger. There was even a running joke about how much chicken Yates was eating. The
part-time cab driver was actually feeding the chicken to Ming, about 20 pounds of it
every day. Stranger still, Yates rented rooms to people who would eventually find out they
were sharing the apartment with a tiger. All were terrified at first but some reportedly
grew fond of Ming. Thanks for watching! Would you rather wrestle
a Komodo dragon or have Joe Exotic as your boss? Let us know in the comments section
below!