Deadly and Dangerous Pets Trivia Quiz

Answer: Siberian tiger

Norman Buwalda owned several large, exotic cats on his land in Canada. The pet that caused his death was a large Siberian tiger. These cats are an endangered species with most originating from eastern Russia. They are solitary animals and aggressive hunters.

They use their unique striping to camouflage themselves and then pounce upon their prey. Siberian tigers avoid humans if possible but can attack if provoked or threatened. No witnesses were there to see Mr. Buwalda's circumstances, but authorities used it as a warning to others about keeping wild animals as pets.

Answer: Eurasian wolf

A wolfdog, like the one in the photo, is the result of breeding a domestic dog, like a German Shepherd, with a wild species. Wolfdogs do not always appear as blended breeds, are generally a bit larger than their parents, and can behave unpredictably. The Eurasian wolf, which was included in the lineage of Ms. Piovesen's dogs, lives mostly in central Asia and is a very social pack animal. Weighing around 100 pounds, the wolf would normally prey on hoofed animals living in the region or smaller animals such as rabbits. Because the wolves (and wolfdogs) prefer to roam over long distances, authorities believe the pack got aggressive in their smaller penned yard and attacked their owner at feeding time.

Answer: Black widow

Mark Vogel owned over 200 spiders, along with reptiles and insects. One of his pets was a black widow spider named Bettina. Black widow spiders have a colored hourglass shaped mark on their abdomen. The female of the species can administer a poison that is at least 12 times more toxic than a rattlesnake.

They feed mostly on insects and, occasionally, on their mate which gives them their name of "black widow". There is antivenom now available which has helped lower the number of human deaths from these animals.

However, Mr. Vogel did not get to help in time.

Answer: Red-tailed boa

The witnesses at Mr. Byrne's abode said that he was attempting to put the snake back in its glass enclosure when it seemed to become startled and wrapped itself around his neck, choking him to death. Red-tailed boas are non-venomous snakes that are native to Central and South America.

They prefer the warm, wet weather of tropical rain forests where they prey on mice, birds, and other small animals. They kill their food by squeezing it until it suffocates and then swallowing it. Red-tailed boas are popular pets but many people do not realize they can grow to ten feet long, weigh fifty pounds, live up to 30 years, and can be dangerous as seen in the example of Mr. Byrne.

Answer: Black bear

Kelly Ann Walz of Allentown, Pennsylvania stepped into the bear's cage and tried to distract it with dog food while feeding it. It turned and mauled her. Black bears are the smallest and most commonly seen bear in North America and range from central Mexico northward to Canada.

They are omnivores and generally solitary animals except when cubs are following their mother. Although they can appear cuddly, authorities warn people that black bears are still wild animals and should be treated with caution. For instance, the authorities stated that the Walz family should have had a two section cage to protect the food handler.

Answer: Chimpanzee

Ms. Nash was a frequent visitor to her friend who owned Travis, a chimpanzee, for over 14 years. In 2009 when she came to visit she had just gotten a new hairdo and it is speculated the chimp, already overly anxious that day, thought she was a stranger and defended his territory.

Incredibly strong, he ripped her face and hands to pieces. Chimpanzees are apes and have the closest genetic tie to humans, who are also primates. They are social animals who are native to the woodlands and jungles of Africa. Typically vegetarian, they have been known to hunt and kill small animals and birds.

Although portrayed as fun-loving companions on television shows and movies, authorities warn people that chimpanzees are amazingly strong wild animals. A 200 pound chimp is seven times stronger than a human the same size. Ms. Nash survived the incident but needed major surgery for her injuries.

Answer: Rat

Aiden was given the rat by his grandmother as a gift and a pet to keep his other pet rat company. Not long after he got the animal, he started complaining of severe stomach pains and lethargy. He died at the hospital after he was diagnosed with rat-bite fever, a form of bacterial infection passed to humans via rodents by scratching or nibbling. Rats are rodents and are larger than mice, weighing in at roughly 300 grams.

They are usually of two varieties consisting of brown rats and black rats. They generally eat cereals, seeds, refuse, and vegetables.

Many are kept as pets but it is highly recommended for any rat owner to wear gloves while handling, to wash hands frequently, and to not touch the mouth after being around the rodent.

Answer: Urutu viper

Ms. Hall kept a variety of reptiles in her home and let many of them roam freely around her house. She was accidentally bitten by a urutu viper and managed to drive herself to a hospital before dying. Police and authorities found many venomous snakes in her home in containers and believe this one managed to escape and join the other, nonvenomous, ones.

Urutu vipers originate in South America. They can grow to be six feet long and tend to prefer marshes and swampy areas. Their venom, which they use to attack prey, causes blood to quickly clot causing heart and organ failure. Doctors at the hospital in Cincinnati were surprised Ms. Hall was able to drive before she passed out and warned others not to keep venomous snakes as pets.

Answer: Bactrian camel

The woman was hand raising the young camel and was even giving it milk from a bottle. While she was alone in the yard, the camel apparently knocked her to the ground, stepped on her a few times, and crushed her. Camel experts from around the area believe the camel was aggressive due to mating instincts. Bactrian camels originate from Asia and have two humps which store fat that is later changed to water or energy as they move through desert regions.

They are herbivores and are able to eat tough, hearty plants that grow in low-water areas.

Although this camel was 300 pounds, at maturity they can be as much as 2,000 pounds. Authorities used this accident as an example of how camels, and other exotic animals, can be dangerous if treated as pets with little discipline.

Answer: Bull

Mr. Weinhold had around ten head of cattle that he kept at a local barn and raised as pets. It was assumed Mr. Weinhold was there to keep an eye on a calf that was recently fathered by the bull. His trampled and gored body was found the next day. Bulls are intact, adult males that are generally larger and more muscular than the female cows.

They can weigh between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds and can be aggressive when provoked. Against common belief, they are actually red-green color blind and are not upset by seeing the color red! After the incident in Pennsylvania, people who own bulls were reminded to make sure they have a quick escape nearby and to be very vigilant toward the bull's behavior.