[knuthom]

I have a theory as to how the tiger escaped. Look at the picture of the tiger grotto, specifically at the walls at the sides of the enclosure. The fencing that runs along the top of the wall doesn't go the entire way. A leap from the grotto to the top of the wall, where the fencing ends, might have been possible.

[Red in Blue PA]

The parents are always amazed!

[OCCASparky]

A “Not-My-Little-Angel!!” alert!

[MoMagic]

Sousa Sr would be better served shutting the hell up at this point.

[lapster]

I’m still trying to figure out what the cops thought was supposed to happen when they yelled at the man-eating tiger to “Stop!” For all they know, he didn’t even speak English. I have a 120-pound Doberman who, sufficiently annoyed at an intruder, wouldn’t stop were I yelling it in his ear. And a 300-pound tiger is going to look up and say, “Oh, sorry, didn’t realize you’d be upset.” I don’t think it works that way.

[Xenalyte]

The U.S. Department of Agricultural, which regulates some facilities that work with live animals, will also investigate to attack, spokesman Jim Rogers said.

The department of agricultural WHAT?

I swear, some days I don't know how proofreaders keep their jobs.

[Judith Anne]

I agree with your theory. The tiger could have jumped that far, according to what I learned earlier.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1944711/posts?page=113

My post 113 there shows some tiger facts found on ask.com.

[CharlesWayneCT]

First, I have to admit I did laugh at the police yelling “stop” before the shot him. “Stop or we’ll shoot”?

What kind of taunting do you do to a tiger “your momma wears army boots” probably won’t work, or “you can’t catch me”.

What they are calling taunting is probably more like ‘teasing’, like they hung their arms over the edge, waving them around, and when the tiger jumped they’d pull back.

My guess would be that one time the tiger just got a particularly good jump, managed to hook a toe in a crack in the wall somewhere, just enough to get a hold up to get over the fence. Maybe there’s a little greenery growing on the wall that he was able to get some traction on or something.

[Bruinator]

Seems a good distance from the grotto to where the two who fled were tracked. If the place were empty or not, seems this tiger tracked them down. Anyone else its way probably would have suffered the same fate. It doesn’t appear to be chance that this tiger just happened upon them. I say he hunted them, which would indicate the tiger was acting on instinct to rid itself of a threat.

[1Old Pro]

Taunting or not, it should be impossible for a wild and deadly animal to ever have contact with any zoo visitors.

[muawiyah]

This is a tiger. That is a structure that usually keeps the people out and away from what is probably a very neurotic tiger.

If the people in any way violated the integrity of the barrier (that is, got too near) the tiger would simply get rid of those people.

If that drawing of a tiger is proportional to the enclosure, then I've seen any number of cats of all sizes EASILY leap that high and higher, at will.

Someone should start taking depositions from the designers and wildlife experts behind that design ~

[RightWhale]

by a 20-foot-wide concrete moat and a 18-foot-high Mollinedo

Obviously the Mollinedo was not high enough to hold an enraged Bengal tiger. That must have been fascinating to see.

[ozarkgirl]

the father of the teen who was killed doesn't think his son would "do such a foolish thing."

Having had teenaged sons, I wouldn't put anything past them. Not even the best of them.

[floozy22]

"There are some species - including tigers - that simply do not belong in captivity because of their extraordinarily complicated physical and psychological needs," PETA captive exotic animal specialist Lisa Wathne said in a letter to Mollinedo. "Scientists at Oxford University have concluded that big cats and other wide-roaming predators become neurotic when they are confined. No 'educational' program is worth sacrificing animals' well-being."

I would humbly add that no human should sacrifice his or her life to a neurotic 300-400 lb predator. PETA forgot that part.

[Sherman Logan]

They hollered for it to stop and then shot it dead when the tiger began to move toward them, Fong said. Fong said she did not know how many shots were fired.

I know how many shots were fired.

All they had.

[OESY]

The film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, derives its title from a Chinese proverb that describes
a strategy to conceal one's strengths from others to preserve the element of surprise.

As in the film, crouching tigers can jump walls with surprising results.

.

[SGCOS]

So the tiger, after eating Carlos, chases his two acquaintences for 300 yards. That tiger was pretty upset.

[knuthom]

Latest information (They actually measured the wall!) says that the wall was too short. It was only a little over 12 feet.

Tiger grotto wall shorter than thought, may have contributed to escape and fatal attack

[gitmo]

I used to be a zookeeper. I've seen quite a few jerks tease the animals and end up getting theirs. Nobody killed, but a few hit by flying debris.

The maddest I ever got was when a mother lowered her baby into a primate area so the ape could kiss her darling. I don't generally cuss, but I increased that woman's vocabulary considerably.