9 Disturbing Stories Of Pets Who Viciously Turned On Their Owners
Most pet owners would agree that the animals we bring into our homes often become members of the family in their own right.Unfortunately, that doesnt apply to all animals, especially those who should have never been in the home in the first place and who sometimes turn on their owners.Some pet owners, unfortunately, learn the hard way that sometimes nurture is second to nature and some animals will always be wild. Here are nine disturbing stories of people attacked by their animals that highlight that hard lesson.Terry Vance Garner And His Man-Eating PigsAdobe StockAnimals were his life, said Michael Garner after his brother, Terry, was eaten by pigs.In October 2012, a 69-year-old farmer in Oregon named Terry Vance Garner disappeared after he left to feed his roughly 700-pound pigs. Hours later, his family members made a horrifying discovery: Garners dentures and parts of his body inside the pig pen.Garners brother, Michael, told The Independent that Garner was a good-hearted guy and animals were his life. Unfortunately, they ended his life as well.It was possible that Garner had suffered a heart attack while feeding the pigs, but at the time, county investigators described the situation as so doggone weird that they had to examine every possibility including the possibility that Garners pigs intentionally knocked him over so they could devour him.In fact, one of the pigs had bitten Garner previously. Michael Garner expressed that the farmer originally intended to put the large sow down, but he later changed his mind.Adobe StockPigs are omnivorous animals, in contrast to other farm animals that tend to be herbivores.John Killefer, head of the Animal and Rangeland Sciences Department at Oregon State University at the time, explained that domestic pigs typically arent as hostile as feral hogs, but offered a reminder that there is some degree of danger associated with any animal.It should also be noted that in contrast to most other farm animals like cows, horses, and chickens, pigs are omnivorous and apparently, sometimes that includes fresh human meat.Unfortunately, investigators never were able to determine if Terry Vance Garner died of a medical condition or if, in the end, his beloved farm animals really did commit a heinously Orwellian act of violence.Marius Els And His Pet HippopotamusRedditMarius Els riding his pet hippo, Humphrey, roughly one year before his death.Its easy to forget that hippos are some of the most dangerous animals on the planet, but they are naturally aggressive animals with incredibly sharp tusks that weigh over 3,000 pounds and they pose as much of a threat on land as in the water, moving up to 30 miles per hour.And while hippos are rarely seen outside of zoos in the United States, wild one are a fairly common sight in other parts of the world, especially in South Africa.Still, that didnt stop Marius Els from adopting a 5-month-old hippo that he named Humphrey back in 2005.According to The Guardian Els brought Humphrey back to his 400-acre farm, where he also kept a giraffe and a rhinoceros, and raised him for six years, describing Humphrey as like a son and just like a human.But over the years, people close to Els expressed concern over the hippos presence on the farm.His wife, Louise, never felt comfortable with the animal nearby, and Humphrey had caused numerous problems before he once chased a 52-year-old man and his 7-year-old grandson while they were canoeing, forcing them to hide in a tree for two hours to escape.Humphrey was also responsible for killing calves that belonged to Els business partner and regularly broke out of his enclosure to chase golfers at a nearby club.Despite this, Els described Humphrey as a gentle giant.Its a little bit dangerous, but I trust him with my heart that he will not harm anybody, Els said. I can swim with him. I go in the water. He allows me to get on his back, and I ride him like a horse. He swims with me.Wikimedia CommonsThough hippos can look unassuming when their mouths are closed, they have incredibly sharp tusks and can move at speeds up to 30 miles per hour.As Sky News reported, though, it turned out Humphrey was anything but gentle.In November 2011, Els body was discovered submerged in the river where Humphrey had first been rescued in a flood years earlier.He had been bitten multiple times by Humphreys sharp, canine-like tusks and dragged into the water, leaving his body mutilated and savaged, left in the river for an unknown period, according to paramedics.Theres a relationship between me and Humphrey, and thats what some people dont understand, Els once said. They think you can only have a relationship with dogs, cats, and domestic animals.But I have a relationship with the most dangerous animal in Africa.The post 9 Disturbing Stories Of Pets Who Viciously Turned On Their Owners appeared first on All That's Interesting.
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