 USDA exhibitor's leopards maul woman
Conroe, TX (US)Date: Feb 11, 2005
County: Montgomery
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Reginald Dwight Parr
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On February 11, 2005, a woman was mauled in a leopard attack at 6912 Dusty Lane at Wildlife Extravaganza, owned by Reginald "Lefty" Parr. Parr owns two leopards, a cougar, several tigers and a lion.
The woman, an employee of Cut and Shoot, an exotic jungle cat preserve in Conroe, Tx, was injured during a feeding incident on February 11, 2005. The woman was preparing to feed the cat, a leopard named Zuma, around 5 p.m. when it became impatient and pulled her right arm through the feeding hole, said Kelli Copeland, director of Montgomery County Animal Control.
According to witnesses, the woman's arm was cut when other workers pulled her back through the cage, Copeland said. The incident occurred at 6912 Dusty Lane at Wildlife Extravaganza, owned by Reginald "Lefty" Parr. "It is unclear at this time how severe the injuries are," Copeland said. It is also unknown whether her injuries occurred from her arm being pulled through the cage or she actually was bitten, Copeland said.
Copeland said she could not confirm the identity of the woman injured but was sure she was a worker at the facility. The woman was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Copeland said. The opening in the cage was just large enough for the leopard to get its paw through, she said. "The animal was hungry and a little agitated," Copeland said.
Zuma will be quarantined for the next 90 days, according to state law, to determine whether it has rabies, Copeland said. For at least the first few days, the animal will be quarantined on the site in Cut and Shoot. After a few days, the leopard could be moved to the Montgomery County Animal Control facility, Copeland said. Following the quarantine, the leopard is not expected to be euthanized, Copeland said. "I don't think Mister Parr would want it to be euthanized. He's had the cat for a long time," Copeland said. "But I'm leaving all of mine and Mister Parr's options open."
The facility is registered with the county and has a license to keep the exotic cats, she said. "The pens are in excellent condition," Copeland said. "Mister Parr is up to code with everything." "There was never any danger to the public at all," she said. Parr owns two leopards, a cougar, several tigers and a lion, she said.
There have been two prior incidents where cats escaped from Parr's facility, Copeland said. In 1998, two tigers escaped from their cages after a trainer had left them open. Both tigers were later shot. In another incident, two cougars escaped from their cages, Copeland said.
At that time, the animals were just housed in cages, which violates the Animal Welfare Act, she said. Parr has significantly upgraded his facility since those incidents, Copeland said.
Following the second incident, Parr lost his exhibitor license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also was found guilty of several violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including constructing and maintaining housing facilities for animals that are not structurally sound and in good repair, failing to utilize a sufficient number of trained employees to maintain the prescribed level of husbandry practices and failing to establish and maintain programs of disease control and prevention, euthanasia and adequate veterinary care under the supervision and assistance of a veterinarian.
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