animal attack

Read the latest news reports about animal attacks on Newser.com

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This Bear May Be 'Vulnerable,' but It's Also a Fierce Killer

Forest communities in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka have been forced to adapt to life with sloth bears

(Newser) - Sloth bears, often called the most dangerous bear species, are responsible for more attacks on humans than tigers, lions, wolves, and even other bears in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Despite feeding mainly on fruit, termites, and ants, these bears have a reputation for explosive aggression when threatened. A...

Rabid Fox Bites 2 in Same Morning in North Carolina

Both victims treated after attacks in Aberdeen neighborhood

(Newser) - A fox tested positive for rabies after attacking two people in Aberdeen, North Carolina, in separate incidents just 30 minutes apart, authorities said this week. Both encounters occurred the morning of August 11, with the first bite reported on Midway Road around 8:05am and the second on Sycamore...

Mountain Lion Attacks Girl, 11, Feeding Chickens

Victim is expected to recover

(Newser) - An 11-year-old California girl was attacked by a mountain lion as she fed her family's chickens outside their Malibu home Sunday evening. The girl, who is expected to recover, was hospitalized with injuries to her arm, leg, and lower back, USA Today reports. Mountain lions, also called cougars or...

Anchorage Sees 2nd Bear Attack in 5 Days

Man and his dog encountered brown bear with cub near river where salmon are running

(Newser) - Alaska authorities are warning hikers to steer clear of streams and rivers where salmon are running and to take precautions after bears mauled hikers on two different occasions within a week in Anchorage, per the AP . Both unidentified hikers survived the attacks in separate parts of the municipality of Anchorage,...

Woman Opens Door to 'a Giant Ball of Viciousness'

Massachusetts resident receives face scratches, then rabies treatment

(Newser) - A Massachusetts woman's late-night encounter with an aggressive assailant left her bloodied—and in need of rabies treatment. Katharine VanBuskirk, 69, says she was attacked by a relentless raccoon outside her Somerville home around 1am Saturday while letting her two dogs into the backyard, per the Boston Globe...

Man Fends Off Cougar With Punch to the Face

Worker escapes with minor injuries in northern British Columbia

(Newser) - A quick-thinking British Columbia man turned the tables on an attacking cougar by landing a punch to the animal's face, escaping with only minor injuries. The incident occurred late Saturday morning as the man worked near Lake Kathlyn in Smithers, some 420 miles directly northwest of Vancouver, per...

Bear Mauls Hiker on Popular Trail in Anchorage

Police used drones to help locate her

(Newser) - A brown bear attacked a woman as she hiked a popular trail in a hillside neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska, and officials are still looking for the animal, state police said. State troopers used a helicopter to take the woman from the Basher Trail to a hospital, police spokesman Christopher Barraza...

Mountain Lion Attacks 4-Year-Old in Washington

The cougar has been killed; child's condition is not known

(Newser) - A 4-year-old walking with their family on a popular Washington state trail was attacked by a mountain lion Sunday. The child was airlifted to a trauma center in Seattle, but their current condition has not been disclosed. The family was near the Victoria Overlook on Hurricane Ridge, part of Olympic...

Zoo Lioness Tears Off Woman's Arm: Report

Victim identified as sister to the owner of Australia's Darling Downs Zoo

(Newser) - If we haven't terrified you enough with recent stories of lions on the attack , here's one more set in your average zoo. An Australian woman was watching animal keepers at work at Darling Downs Zoo in Toowoomba, Queensland, on Sunday morning, before the zoo had opened, when she...

Bee Attack in French Town Injures 24

3 wounded critically; mayor thinks Asian hornets were threatening beehives

(Newser) - An unusual attack by bees in the French town of Aurillac has left 24 people injured, including three in critical condition, according to local authorities. The Prefecture of Cantal, in south-central France, said passersby were stung over a period of about 30 minutes on Sunday morning, reports the AP . Firefighters...

Escaped Lion Attacks Man as He Sleeps

Lion escaped from zoo in Turkey

(Newser) - A man was seriously injured when he was attacked by a lion that had escaped a zoo in southern Turkey on Sunday, local media reported. The lion was later shot dead, the AP reports. The male lion, named Zeus, escaped his cage at Land of Lions in Manavgat, a resort...

9-Year-Old Survives Shark Attack in Florida

Leah Lendel's hand had to be reconstructed following bite off Florida

(Newser) - A 9-year-old girl has survived a terrifying shark encounter off Florida and remarkably retains the use of her right hand despite that it was "mostly torn off," per Gulf Coast News . Leah Lendel was snorkeling off Boca Grande, about 4 feet from her mother, on Wednesday when she...

Yellowstone Sees Its 2nd Goring of the Season

New Jersey man, 30, escapes with minor injuries after bison gored him for getting too close

(Newser) - A bison gored a man on Tuesday at Yellowstone National Park after a large group of visitors got too close to it, officials said. The 30-year-old victim from Randolph, New Jersey, was treated for minor injuries after being gored around 9:45am local time in the Old Faithful area, according...

As He Whipped Out His Pepper Spray, Bear Went After Pal

Hiker dies in Greece after bear pushes him off cliff into 2.6K-foot ravine

(Newser) - A hiker has died in Greece after a brown bear reportedly pushed him off a cliff above a 2,600-foot ravine. The victim, Christos Stavrianidis, was hiking with his friend Vassilis Kioroglou through the Frakto Forest near the city of Drama, where Stavrianidis had previously found the remains of a...

The Number of Dog Attacks on Mail Carriers Is Growing

Midwest leads nation as incidents rise and costs climb

(Newser) - Dog attacks on US postal workers hit a seven-year high last year, according to the latest US Postal Service data. Some 6,088 attacks were recorded in 2024, up 5% over the previous year and 15% from 2022, reports NBC News .
  • Midwest states led the nation, with Illinois, Iowa,
...

He Left Tent to Use the Bathroom, Met a Tragic Death

Lion kills well-known conservation supporter camping with friends in Namibia

(Newser) - A well-known businessman was killed by a lion when he stepped out of his tent at a luxury lodge in Namibia's remote northwest on Friday, police said. Bernd Kebbel, 59, left the shelter near Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp in the Sesfontein area, where he was camping with his...

Florida Man Survives Alligator, Is Killed by Deputies

'This is just crazy stuff, OK?' says sheriff of Polk County after confrontation

(Newser) - A Florida man is dead after an encounter first with an alligator and then with sheriff's deputies. "This is just crazy stuff, OK?" says Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, reports CBS News . Timothy Schulz, 42, was fatally shot by deputies in Monday's chaotic scene. How it unfolded:...

Alligator Kills Boater in Florida Park

Fatal attack happened Tuesday where a creek meets Lake Kissimmee

(Newser) - A nightmare came to life Tuesday in Florida, where authorities say an alligator attacked and killed a woman in a small boat on a popular lake. The woman was said to be in either a kayak or canoe in Lake Kissimmee State Park, per NBC News . Authorities said the alligator...

Territorial Woodpecker Damages Dozens of Cars
Territorial Woodpecker
Damages Dozens of Cars
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Territorial Woodpecker Damages Dozens of Cars

Bird in Rockport, Massachusetts, believes reflections are rivals, expert say

(Newser) - "We have a vandal in the neighborhood," Rockport, Massachusetts resident Janelle Favaloro warned in a Facebook post. "He was described as 18 to 24 inches tall, wearing black and white with a red hat." A pileated woodpecker has been attacking car mirrors and windows in the...

Man Swimming With Sharks Killed in Rare Attack in Israel

Remains found of missing man along Israeli shore after beachgoers ignored safety warnings

(Newser) - Israeli police have found the remains of a swimmer who vanished in the Mediterranean Sea after heading out into the water near a gathering of sharks. The incident occurred on Monday at a beach in Hadera, and Israeli authorities closed that beach and others nearby following the apparent attack,...

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