Fatal Attractions

Man lived with seven large Nile monitor lizards in his small studio apartment, and woman shared her home with more than 20 venomous snakes and lizards.

Hear the stories of people who keep dangerous big cats, such as tigers, lions, and leopards, as pets and learn how just one mistake can result in devastating consequences.

Chimpanzees, our closet animal relative, possess six times the strength of an average adult male and have the temperament of a five-year-old child. Despite their strength and their wild tendencies, some people believe chimps make loving companions.

In 2003, a 500-pound tiger was removed from a New York apartment in the notorious projects of Harlem. A veteran's tigers helps him cope with his PTSD, but another tragic story reminds us that predators can never be denied.

Anita Finch, a 33-year-old Californian woman was found dead in her trailer-park home, clutching a note with words, "Northfield Hospital, ask for ICU." How did her passion for nature develop into an obsession for venomous snakes?

Donna Munson was an elderly lady who enjoyed feeding the bears that congregated around her home in the woodlands of Ouray, Colorado. Her life ended tragically when she tried to intervene in a conflict between an adult male and a cub.

A Cincinnati local, Ted, is bitten on the face and neck by his 13-foot python. While in a feeding frenzy, the snake coils around his neck and asphyxiates him as Ted's horrified girlfriend witnesses.

Ricky Weinhold paid with his life when he tried to keep a bull as a pet. Texas rancher RC Bridges has gone a step further and keeps a huge pet buffalo called Wild Thing. At one time, it even had its own room in the house.

A tiger loose in the streets of suburban New Jersey tips off locals to a larger and potentially deadly problem. Meanwhile, a man's insistence on keeping tigers costs one person their life.

A Wisconsin school teacher follows his dream of owning a two-ton Asian elephant but isn't prepared for the inevitable. Doug Terranova, a former circus performer, wants his young daughters to follow in his footsteps.

Three men tempt fate when they bring a buck, a buffalo, and a bull into their lives and homes.

Two families are torn apart by one member's choice to keep big cats close at hand.

An Australian man keeps two 10-foot saltwater crocs in a shed in his backyard. Aussie Vicky Lowing shares her suburban home with three pet crocodiles, one of whom she takes for drives in the car, another who lives in the bath.