Deadly Attacks From Exotic Pets.

 Man killed by pet spider (Black Widow Spider)

Mark Voegel, 30, was found dead in his Dortmund, Germany apartment. His body was draped in spider webs and more than 200 spiders, several snakes, thousands of termites, and a gecko were feasting on his corpse. Proper authorities were alerted when concerned neighbors noticed a horrendous stench eminating from the apartment. His black widow, Bettina, is believed to have administered the deadly bite. Voeger's apartment has been described as both a "zoo" and a "jungle" by authorities. He was dead for somewhere between seven and fourteen days when his corpse was found. Enough time for the creepy-crawlies to make a new home out of his apartment. 

NOTE: according to some sources, The Sun may had invented this story. (Thanks, Sandra) (Link 1 | Link 2) 

Woman killed by pet (Viper Snake)

A 44-year-old woman died after being bitten by one of her venomous snakes. Her modest, unassuming two-story house was home to at least nine poisonous snakes and more than a dozen other snakes, lizards and alligators. Police believe an urutu pit viper bit the woman and neighbors said she drove herself to Mercy Fairfield Hospital. She was later transported to University Hospital, where she remained in critical condition until her death three days later. Police broke down the woman's front door, and three herpetologists from Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens entered the house to check if there were more poisonous snakes inside the house. The reptile keepers checked an upstairs bedroom and found more than a half-dozen large lizards running around. Among the animals roaming free around the house were two monitor lizards, two alligators, one rhinoceros iguana, two Solomon Islands tree skinks and one tegu lizard. All the venomous snakes were in secure plastic cases throughout the house. But the herpetologists found non-venomous animals under boxes and under piles of clothes. (Link)

Man killed by his pet Tiger

66 year old Norman Buwalda from Ontario was mauled to death by his 300 kg pet tiger. He was the chairman of the Canadian Exotic Animal Owner's Association, and actively fought for the right to keep dangerous big cats as pets. In June 2004 a 10 year old boy was seriously injured at Buwalda's home when a pet Siberian tiger mauled the child during a photo opportunity. Concerned neighbours campaigned for a new bylaw which prohibited people from keeping exotic pets, but Mr Buwalda fought the bylaw and won. However a few years later Buwalda entered the cage of one of his pet tigers alone, and for some unknown reason it attacked and killed him. A family member discovered his mutilated body in the tiger's cage and managed to coerce the tiger into a separate pen. Once the tiger was isolated Mr Buwalda's body was recovered. 

Man killed by pet African lion

A Hardin County man who kept exotic animals was apparently attacked and killed by a pet African lion. Al Abell was apparently changing the bedding of the lion's pen when he was attacked. He did not lock a gate between the lion's large enclosure and a smaller pen where the animal should have been moved while the area was being cleaned. Abell's wife returned to the couple's home near Elizabethtown in southeastern Illinois shortly before 6 p.m., saw the lion out of its pen and called the sheriff's office. Deputies killed the lion and then discovered Abell lying nearby. (Link)

Woman killed by pet wolves

Sandra L. Piovesan bled to death after being mauled by a pack of nine wolf dogs that she had raised as pets and was so devoted to that she once told a neighbor they "give me unqualified love." Ms. Piovesan, 50, of Salem, was found in a caged rectangular enclosure in her backyard, home for nine half-wolves, half-dogs that were later euthanized. The autopsy, performed by Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, found that the Westmoreland County woman suffered multiple soft tissue injuries. 

Ms. Piovesan treated her wolves like children, and said as much when neighbors asked about them.The fenced area in her backyard is about the width of a three-lane road, running the length of her house. The area was divided into sections: one for the wolf-dogs, one for her pair of Rottweilers, another for wolf puppies, with whom she'd play and romp. Ed Gieselman, owner of an interior design business across the street, asked her about her attachment to the animals. Ms. Piovesan said, in response, that "they give me unqualified love." (Link)