Man killed by 'pet' wildebeest

[madinmaryland]

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 Posted: 12:07 PM EST (1707 GMT)

NORTH LIBERTY, Indiana (AP) -- A wildebeest that was part of a man's menagerie of exotic animals trampled him to death on his northern Indiana farm, police said.

It was unclear what caused the roughly 225-kilogram (500-pound) wildebeest, an African antelope also known as a gnu, to attack Klaus "Dick" Radandt, 64, in the barnyard behind his home Sunday in North Liberty, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of South Bend.

Police said Radandt's wife, Terrilyn, became concerned when he did not return for lunch after going to the barnyard about 10 a.m. She investigated and found him lying on the ground and called paramedics, who were unable to revive him.

Wildebeests naturally grow large curved horns, but this animal's horns had been cut down to the nubs, police said.

St. Joseph County Coroner Chuck Hurley said the male animal apparently used its head to repeatedly ram Radandt and then trampled him after he fell to the ground. The official cause of death was blunt force trauma to the chest and head, Hurley said.

St. Joseph County Police Cpl. Steven Shively, who investigated the death, said he was told that male wildebeests become very aggressive this time of year because it is the beginning of its mating season.

With a female wildebeest nearby, the animal may have considered Radandt a threat.

Shively said the Radandts own three wildebeests -- a male, a female and a calf the pair produced. They also own several other exotic animals, such as ostriches, emus, reindeer and llamas, he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/07/wildebeest.death.ap/index.html

:wtf: Is this normal for Indiana?

[Aiptasia]

1. I once had an entire menagerie called Abdul

For all you monty python fans.. Singing...

La Da de.. Tee Hee Hee.. Eric, the half-a-bee!

[BigMcLargehuge]

2. I told him but he wouldn't listen

I told him to get a tamedebeast instead but nooooooooooooooooooo.

[tk2kewl]

4. LOL

;)

[Dora]

3. Don't want to sound callous

But if grown men have toys they don't know how to care for, then they get what they deserve - doesn't matter if it's guns, boats, or wildebeests.

Thinning the herd; more resources for us now.

(He was effin' breeding them! How insane! These are not domestic animals!)

[BigMcLargehuge]

6. maybe he was trying to cash in on the new trend

"being killed by wild animals mistakenly thought domesticated"

it's a growth industry apparently

[TX-RAT]

7. These are not domestic animals

Where the hell you think domestic animals came from?

[Dora]

12. Not from morons like that.

What's with the aggressive tone, bud? Are you breeding wild creatures in your yard too? If so, watch your back and know their behavioral patterns and mating habits.

[yardwork]

11. Like the morans who cross-breed dogs and wolves

or people who keep tigers in their backyards. Or the picture I saw once of some guy feeding a honeybun to a bear! Stupid stupid stupid.

[WildClarySage]

5. This was on CNN Gnus?

[Placebo]

8. willllllllllllllllldebeeeeeeeeeest

I just love that word for some reason.

[Der Blaue Engel]

9. Heh. Me too.

Almost as much as llama.

Plus, the story is funny, cuz it isn't me.

[Placebo]

10. Always funny when it's not you.

;)