# Famous people who were killed by animals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 4, 2015, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967 "2015-08-04T13:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/1 "2015-08-04T13:10:14Z")
I was thinking of the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin and his untimely end – done in by a stingray in 2006. What other famous people have been killed by wild animals? I’m sure that there have been a few, but I can’t think of specific examples right now… ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/2 "2015-08-04T13:21:47Z")
**Cleopatra** , of course, comes to mind. She was bitten by an asp, possibly intentionally. There’s also the ‘Grizzly Man’, bear activist **Timothy Treadwell**. While camping in Katmai too late in the season his campsite near a river was visited by an old, probably starving bear and both he and his girlfriend were mauled and killed, an event recorded on audio. Rangers unfortunately then had to put two bears down to retrieve their bodies. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/3 "2015-08-04T13:24:20Z")
Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain wasn’t famous until _after_ a dingo maybe ate her. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/4 "2015-08-04T13:27:12Z")
The deputy mayor of Delhi, India was attacked by monkeys in 2007 and died the next day. > **[BBC NEWS | South Asia | Monkeys attack Delhi politician](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7055625.stm)** > > Delhi's deputy major dies after falling from a terrace while trying to fight off a horde of wild monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/5 "2015-08-04T13:28:00Z")
> **[Category:Deaths due to animal attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Deaths_due_to_animal_attacks)** > > This category is for articles that describe mortal attacks on humans by animals. > This category has the following 22 subcategories, out of 22 total. > The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/6 "2015-08-04T13:36:24Z")
Folk singer Taylor Mitchell was killed by coyotes while hiking in 2009. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/7 "2015-08-04T13:37:23Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > **Cleopatra** , of course, comes to mind. She was bitten by an asp, possibly intentionally. > > There’s also the ‘Grizzly Man’, bear activist **Timothy Treadwell**. While camping in Katmai too late in the season his campsite near a river was visited by an old, probably starving bear and both he and his girlfriend were mauled and killed, an event recorded on audio. Rangers unfortunately then had to put two bears down to retrieve their bodies. I can’t believe that I had forgotten about that guy! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/8 "2015-08-04T14:16:36Z")
[Jacky Boxberger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacky_Boxberger), a multi-time track Olympian from France was killed by an elephant. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/9 "2015-08-04T14:17:43Z")
Would Christopher Reeve count? Thrown from a horse, died only years later but pretty inarguably as a result of those injuries. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/10 "2015-08-04T14:29:59Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Would Christopher Reeve count? Thrown from a horse, died only years later but pretty inarguably as a result of those injuries. Yeah, he should count! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/11 "2015-08-04T14:36:29Z")
[Catherine the Great?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/100/is-it-true-about-catherine-the-great-and-the-horse) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/12 "2015-08-04T14:36:52Z")
William Wallace? ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/13 "2015-08-04T15:01:20Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Yeah, he should count! Wasn’t he thrown from a “regular” (domesticated) horse, though? Your OP says “killed by wild animals.” ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/14 "2015-08-04T15:14:53Z")
Ancient Olympic champion Milo of Croton was reputedly killed by a lion. In the last century star matador Manolete was killed in the ring by a bull. IMO it was a case of poetic injustice that the bull was also fatally wounded in the encounter. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/15 "2015-08-04T15:32:57Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > There’s also the ‘Grizzly Man’, bear activist **Timothy Treadwell**. While camping in Katmai too late in the season his campsite near a river was visited by an old, probably starving bear and both he and his girlfriend were mauled and killed, an event recorded on audio. Rangers unfortunately then had to put two bears down to retrieve their bodies. Except he wasn’t famous until he was killed by the bear. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/16 "2015-08-04T15:42:03Z")
Fabio nearly got his head knocked off by a bird. He survived, though. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/17 "2015-08-04T15:48:12Z")
> [@troub](#): > > Wasn’t he thrown from a “regular” (domesticated) horse, though? Your OP says “killed by wild animals.” Oops. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/18 "2015-08-04T15:59:49Z")
> [@troub](#): > > Wasn’t he thrown from a “regular” (domesticated) horse, though? Your OP says “killed by wild animals.” > [@gytalf2000](#): > > Oops. FWIW, I went off the thread title, which doesn’t specify the level of the murder animal’s tameness. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/19 "2015-08-04T16:00:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Except he wasn’t famous until he was killed by the bear. Hadn’t he appeared on television before the fatal incident? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967/20 "2015-08-04T16:02:18Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > FWIW, I went off the thread title, which doesn’t specify the level of the murder animal’s tameness. 🙂 Me, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-who-were-killed-by-animals/726967.md?page=2)