Eric Slate was found dead with multiple blunt force injuries at 5-Star Farm near Loris, approximately 30 miles north of Myrtle Beach. The incident has sparked discussions about the safety of exotic animal facilities and renewed calls for stricter regulations regarding human-animal interactions at such establishments.
Eric Slate, the brother of 5-Star Farm owner Robert Slate, was discovered deceased just before midnight on Friday in an enclosure housing kangaroos and wallabies. According to the Horry County Police Department, the incident involved a “non-domesticated animal and adult relative” of the animal’s owner. The Horry County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the victim had sustained “multiple blunt force injuries”.
Local council member Mark Causey clarified the circumstances, noting that Eric Slate had a history of entering the kangaroo enclosure and interacting roughly with the animal.
“It’s just a tragic situation,”
Causey said, suggesting that Slate was following this pattern at the time of his death. When authorities arrived, the kangaroo remained secured within its enclosure.
Recently, shared a social media photo of a large kangaroo referred to as “Mr.,” though it remains unclear if this was the specific animal involved in the incident. Adult male red kangaroos can reach weights of nearly 200 pounds and heights of up to 5 feet 11 inches, possessing powerful legs capable of delivering potentially lethal kicks. The farm, an interactive experience offering encounters with various exotic animals including camels, wallabies, and kangaroos, is owned and operated by Robert Slate.
In the wake of the incident, Robert Slate stated on the farm’s Facebook page, calling it a “tragic incident involving a family member.” He noted that an autopsy had been ordered by the Horry County Coroner to determine the exact cause of death and stressed that
“the animal was not nor has been out of his secure enclosure.”
The statement concluded with a plea for “respect and support for the family.”
Horry County Police reassured the public that all animals at the farm were “accounted for and contained,” posing “no risk to the community.” Councilman Dennis DiSabato told local media that a kangaroo was “directly involved” in Slate’s death. Meanwhile, Mark Causey emphasized that the kangaroo is not deemed aggressive and has not been euthanized.
“This is a very unfortunate incident… It is not the animal’s fault,”
He said. Experts are slated to evaluate the enclosure’s safety and the kangaroo’s condition as part of an ongoing investigation.
The tragedy has highlighted South Carolina’s lenient stance on exotic animal ownership, one of the nation’s least restrictive. The state is among just three in the U.S. where owning a kangaroo is permitted, a policy now under scrutiny.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seized the moment, sending a letter to Governor Henry McMaster on May 13, 2025, urging a statewide ban on public contact with wild and exotic animals. PETA argued that the incident “epitomizes the public safety hazards and animal welfare concerns” tied to such interactions. The group pointed to additional risks, including the potential spread of zoonotic diseases like E. coli and Salmonella from these facilities.
PETA’s letter cited prior incidents in South Carolina, such as a child bitten by a prairie dog at Ballyhoo Petting Zoo in Anderson and a woman seriously injured by an escaped monkey from Myrtle Beach Safari, to bolster its case for reform.
Fatal kangaroo attacks, while rare, are not unprecedented. In 2022, an elderly man in Western Australia was killed by a pet kangaroo—the first such death in the region in nearly 90 years. PETA referenced other U.S. incidents to underscore the broader issue: a teenager bitten by a sloth at a Michigan roadside zoo in 2023, requiring rabies treatment; a 17-month-old child attacked by a lemur at a Georgia petting zoo in 2022; and a three-year-old injured by an iguana at a Fort Worth facility that same year.
Wildlife experts and advocacy groups have long cautioned against the dangers of close contact with exotic animals. PETA’s letter to McMaster warned that
“captivity and training do not take away a wild animal’s potential to inflict harm,”
adding that human actions can easily provoke instinctive reactions. The group also linked safety risks to welfare, noting that chronic stress in captivity often leads to “injurious or aggressive behavior.”
Jonathan Morris, PETA’s associate director of legal advocacy, condemned the conditions at many exotic animal attractions:
“Denying animals everything natural and important to them and subjecting them to a barrage of grabbing hands is a recipe for disaster.”
Yet, Mark Causey offered a counterpoint, defending the kangaroo involved:
“It’s not an aggressive animal. It’s very sad… It was not the animal’s fault,”
Highlighting the ethical tension between human responsibility and animal instincts.
As investigators continue their work, the incident has reignited demands for stricter regulations in South Carolina and beyond, challenging the balance between public entertainment and the safety of humans and animals.
