10 Deadly Animal Attacks

(Feb. 25) -- The death of SeaWorld Orlando animal trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed Wednesday by one of the theme park's killer whales, caught the horrified attention of the nation. And while most animals rarely seek to harm humans, every year there are incidents in which animal instinct rules the day. Here's a look at 10 recent examples.

Feb. 3 -- Shark Attacks Kite Surfer in Florida
Stephen Schafer, 38, was attacked by sharks while kite surfing in the waters off Stuart, Fla. By the time a lifeguard reached him, Schafer was surrounded by sharks, there was blood in the water and he said he'd been bitten by a shark, according to NBC affiliate WPTV-Ch5. The lifeguard said Schafer talked for half of the quarter-mile swim back to shore before losing consciousness. Rescuers performed CPR but Schafer died.

Jan. 14 -- Shark Kills Tourist, Bystander Live Tweets Attack
In January a Zimbabwe man, 37-year-old Lloyd Skinner, was swimming in the waters off Cape Town, South Africa, when a great white shark attacked him, leaving nothing but a pool of blood behind. An onlooker tweeted the scene. "We just saw a GIGANTIC shark eat what looked like a person right in front of our house in fishhoek. Unbelievable." The waters around Cape Town are home to so many sharks that the city keeps shark spotters on the lookout in the mountains around the beaches, the Daily Mail said. The day of the attack the water was too cloudy for the spotters to see anything, and a shark warning flag had been raised on the beach.

Jan. 4 -- American Mother and Child Trampled in Kenya
Sharon Brown, a 39-year-old librarian from Long Island, N.Y., was on a guided hike with her 1-year-old daughter, husband and other tourists in a wildlife preserve in Mount Kenya National Park when an elephant charged from behind, killing her and her daughter. A spokeswoman for the nearby Castle Forest Lodge told reporters she suspected the elephant was one in a herd of 20 seen later in the day with their calves. Like many animals, elephants can be very aggressive when protecting their offspring. Brown and her husband worked at the International School of Kenya in Nairobi.

Nov. 28, 2009 -- Man Cleared in Wife's Death When Suspect Becomes a Drunken Moose
Swedish police held Ingemar Westlund, 68, for 10 days in the death of his wife, 63-year-old Agneta Westlund, before determining the true killer was a drunken moose. Police found moose hair and saliva on the woman's body and determined she had been attacked by a moose that had been eating fermented apples.

Oct. 30, 2009 -- Safari Guide Trampled by Elephants
British safari guide Anton Turner, 38, was trampled to death by an elephant while filming a children's show with the BBC. Turner was leading a television crew and three children through the Selous game reserve in Tanzania when an elephant charged him. His business partner and friend, Ryan Wienand, told the Mirror that Turner had tried to stand up to the elephant to protect the children. He had a rifle with him but did not use it.

Feb. 16, 2009 -- Travis the Chimp Attacks Woman in Connecticut
Travis, a 14-year-old, 200-pound chimpanzee, lived in Stamford, Conn., with 70-year-old Sandra Herold. Herold treated the animal as if he were her child, even sleeping with him. One day when he became agitated, Herold called her friend Charla Nash, 55, for help. But when Nash arrived, Travis went berserk and began mauling and biting her. Police, called by a frantic Herold, shot and killed the animal. Nash lost her hands, lips, nose and eyelids in the attack. She is now blind.

April 22, 2008 -- Movie Star Bear Kills Handler in California
A grizzly bear named Rocky, who appeared in the Will Ferrell movie "Semi Pro," was filming a promotional video in California when he bit handler Stephan Miller, 39, on the neck, killing him. Miller's cousin, Randy Miller, who owns the animal training center where the incident occurred, said the 5-year-old bear was normally a "loving, affectionate, friendly, safe bear," according to The Associated Press. Rocky was trained to wrestle with handlers who put their arms up to protect their necks. But when Rocky began his routine, Stephan's arms were at his sides, Randy Miller told NBC's "Today" show, and the bear bit his unprotected neck.

Dec. 25, 2007 -- Siberian Tiger Mauls Three at San Francisco Zoo
On Christmas Day, three young men who had been drinking and smoking marijuana stood on the railing of the tiger enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo, waving their hands and yelling at Tatiana, a 4-year-old Siberian tiger. Tatiana responded by leaping over the 12 1/2-foot wall and mauling 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., who was killed. The tiger then took after the other two, brothers Paul Dhaliwal, 19, and Kulbir Dhaliwal, 23. Tatiana attacked them but she was shot dead by police. The Dhaliwal brothers survived.

June 2, 2007 -- Komodo Dragon Kills 8-Year-Old Boy in Indonesia
A Komodo dragon, a giant, carnivorous species of lizard, grabbed an 8-year-old boy by the waist and shook him from side to side on the island of Komodo in Indonesia. The boy's uncle threw rocks at the lizard until it let him go, but the boy died from his wounds 30 minutes later. "It is very common here to see dragons roaming in the residential area in the national park. But it is very rare that a Komodo dragon kills a human. Usually, people here only suffer minor injuries," Heru Rudiharto, a national park spokesman, told the Guardian. He added that the attack may have been prompted by a decrease in the lizard's natural prey.

Sept. 4, 2006 -- 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin Felled by Stingray
Though Steve Irwin wrestled countless crocodiles on his show "The Crocodile Hunter" and lived to tell about it, he was killed by a stingray's poisonous barb while filming a documentary called "Ocean's Deadliest." Irwin's manager and producer, John Stainton, said the cameras were rolling when Irwin was hit, and the video shows him pulling the barb from his chest before dying. Irwin's legacy is carried on by his 11-year-old daughter, Bindi, who had her own wildlife show on Discovery Kids. "I know that Daddy had an important job," Bindi said at Irwin's memorial service. "He was working to change the world so that everyone would love wildlife like he did."