Posted on 12/25/2007 6:56:38 PM PST by Shermy
Life is not as pristine as we like to believe.
This is a reminder that, although zoos are wonderful, educational places, they do hold dangers.
Note to self, only go to zoo with Jim Corbett.
And you're an idiot .... the tiger killed someone. You put it's life above another humans? Shame on you, you damned fool.
I believe the attack last December happened when the regular handler/trainer was on vacation.
One might suspect the same situation last night.
Sounds like the gay cops and the few straight SF cops have improved their marksmanship. There was a shootout in a bank in the last decade. The cops fired an incredible number of shots at the robbers and never hit a bad guy.
If we start killing tigers just for being dangerous, I think we can just declare them extinct.
Tragic circumstance, and of course it's a shame people were injured and at least one killed. I also, though, think it's a shame that the tiger was killed. The folks at the zoo ought to have had at the very ~least~ a tranquilizer gun, if not a rifle, to deal with such emergencies. I don't blame the cops for shooting her, she reportedly was still mauling a person and lunged to attack. But I do see it as a loss of a very rare and beautiful animal.
“Several officers shot it with handguns, Mannina said”
Good shooting.
Wouldn’t want to have to deal with a tiger with a handgun.
A real tragedy. I worked in a zoo and accidents can happen but something like this is beyond idiocy. And Tigers, as another posted noted, shouldn’t be kept in cages anyway. They should have walled, moated, outdoor enclosures.
And most zoo mammals aren’t really typical in their behavior towards humans. They loose all fear of them and thanks to idiots who taunt and tease them, often develope a veritable dislike for them. I remember idiots in the public when I worked there - like jerk guys who hold their kids over the edge of a croc pit for a “better look”
“I can’t believe that after the tiger killed one and maimed two others that officials would wait until morning to sweep the grounds and look for any other victims. Don’t they own flashlights? Someone severely injured could bleed out overnight.”
They probably couldn’t get an accurate head count of the tigers, and they didn’t know if one or more was still loose.
Reporters were apparently sent back to their vehicles when they arrived. Cops probably told their bosses, they weren’t paid enough to check for loose tigers.
I wonder how many rounds and what kind? Handguns against a 350lb tiger? One needs a 44mag but was either .357 or .40SW.
So have I... and I always carried a concealed .357 revolver under a long wool overcoat when I did go.
It’s a nice zoo.
I think it could be a lot better... I saw lots of deteriorating exhibits five years ago. The animals did not seem to be well cared for, especially the elephants.
If it is the tiger I am thinking about, it is not the Sumatran tiger in the cage on the far end or the Siberians, but a larger male yellow tiger without a placard on the cage in the middle of the row.
He was possibly a Bengal that looked about 400 to 500 lbs. He was constantly pacing and growling, he didn't seem happy at all... I did feel uneasy about him...
There are simply not enough SWAT units out there. SF definitely needs a gay Zoo Patrol SWAT. Lavender-based camo, short shorts and the latest in knee pads, pimped bread truck for transport to match.
http://www.answers.com/topic/eddie-edwards?cat=entertainment
KTVU is asying that this is the Siberian tiger, Tatiana, that was involved in the mauling of a vacation relief trainer a year ago.
I was there 5 years ago.
The tiger I was thinking about is not the Sumatran tiger in the cage on the far end of the lion house or the Siberians, but a larger male yellow tiger without a placard in the cage near the middle of the row.
He was possibly a Bengal that looked about 400 to 500 lbs. He was constantly pacing and growling, he didn’t seem happy at all... I did feel uneasy about him...
see # 133...
I always carry a concealed .357 revolver under a long wool overcoat when I go to a zoo.
I always go when it is cold...
One can only imagine what that Gay Swat Bread Truck would look like.
The big cat grottos back up to a building with cages inside where the public can go to view feedings. There are a series of gates between cages and between the cages and the grottos outside so that the animals can be moved around to facilitate cleaning, etc.
I would bet that a complacent employee was lax about securing a gate, and the tiger got out that way. The employee may have realized (during his coffee/smoke break) that he hadn't secured a gate, then gone back to do so. It wouldn't be immediately known from inside whether the cats were all in their grottos, thus the early possibility that more than one cat was loose.
The employee will doubtless deny mistakes like that, and thus the only possible assumption would be that the tiger jumped the moat and scrambled out. When was the last time you ever heard of that happening. The Zoo officials will expect the lawsuits from the killed and injured parties, but re-engineering and replacing all the grotto and moat systems in the US zoos would be massively expensive to these non-profit entities. I would expect a quick decision to throw the employee under the bus, and just pay the damage suits.
It's unfortunate that one escaped and killed a person. That being said, that's a good one. The left is always surprised when animals act like - animals. And not the wise, caring, sensitive, cartoon-like creatures they like to portray them as (or wish they were), mistreated by us boorish humans who 'don't get it'.
Yes, it is not likely. But, some of those big cats can leap more than 30 ft. with a good run; especially a lean, young animal...
The big cat grottos back up to a building with cages inside where the public can go to view feedings.
I distincly remember more than four tigers when I was there and not a single lion...
>> And you’re an idiot .... the tiger killed someone. You put it’s life above another humans? Shame on you, you damned fool.<<
WRONG! I’m sorry, citizens, you’ve been outvoted by the “scientific lobby”. From Dr. Paul Beier (University of Arizona), the Gummint’s mountain lion guru: “If we’re going to have these large-bodied predators around, every once in a while they’re going to eat us. I’m comfortable with that.”
And BTW, make that “idiotS” and “foolS”.
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