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Posted on 12/27/2007 10:18:04 AM PST by wardaddy
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The big cat exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo was cordoned off as a crime scene Wednesday as investigators tried to determine whether a Siberian tiger that killed a visitor escaped from its high-walled pen on its own or got help from someone, inadvertent or otherwise.
Police shot the 300-pound animal to death after a Christmas Day rampage that began when the tiger escaped from an enclosure surrounded by what zoo officials said are an 18-foot wall and a 20-foot moat. Two brothers who also were visiting the zoo were severely mauled.
Police Chief Heather Fong said the department has opened a criminal investigation to "determine if there was human involvement in the tiger getting out or if the tiger was able to get out on its own."
Police said they have not ruled anything out, including whether the escape was the result of carelessness or a deliberate act.
(AP) Tatiana, a female Siberian tiger that killed one person and injured two others, is seen in the lion... Full Image
Fong said officers were gathering evidence from the tiger's enclosure as well as accounts from witnesses and others.
One zoo official insisted the tiger did not get out through an open door and must have climbed or leaped out. But Jack Hanna, former director of the Columbus Zoo and a frequent guest on TV, said such a leap would be an unbelievable feat, and "virtually impossible."
"There's something going on here. It just doesn't feel right to me," he said. "It just doesn't add up to me."
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
I think Vick went a bit beyond stupid or prankish.
Skunks are not rodents; they belong to the weasel family. Incidently, it is very rare for a rodent to get rabies.
No, because it would interfere with Mr. Darwin's job of sweeping out the genetic debris.
..and probably slugs stoked in the shotguns.
"
SSSSHHHHHHHHHH you weren't supposed to tell....(wink)
Certainly, we generally consider human life sacrosanct above all animal life...but there are certainly exceptions to that...if I had to choose between a Geoffrey Dahmer or my German Shepherd, you can bet Dahmer would get short shrift. If as speculated, the mauling victims were taunting the tiger or even encroaching on its enclosure, it's not a matter of whether or not they "deserved" it, but merely a natural consequence of their actions...one might just as easily speculate if a person who put a loaded pistol in their mouth and pulled the trigger "deserved" to die.
Likewise, from a biblical perspective, humans are responsible to the beasts merely out of respect for God's creation. Certainly, I have no problem with the police officers doing what they had to do to save the lives of other people, even to protect those who may have provoked the tiger, but if the tiger died because of the foolishness, recklessness, and hubris of the *victims* then they should be viewed in light of that as well.
As I've stated to others on this matter, I don't want to misrepresent completely innocent zoo guests as miscreants, but likewise, I don't want to make martyrs out of morons. I suspect the facts will eventually come to light, but I don't think it's fair to accuse others here of demeaning the value of human life, when this entire incident may be the result of some individuals exhibiting a blatant and careless disregard for their own lives.
I heard a report on the radio (790 in LA, CA, don't know the call letters) The the fence was 12'10", well below the industry recommended 16'.
Dangle a leg down and shave a couple feet or so off of that, and...
That’s the standard rank insignia for a cheif. You do know that cops have ranks similar to the military, right? sargent, captain, etc.
I’m suprised that every rock in that zoo wasn’t glued or screwed down for safety sake ......
Yeah well, what if the tiger had killed an innocent bystander? What if the kid killed isn’t the one that was messing around with the cat?
“I got your hateful comment right here.
Don’t those Mexicans know a fence means Keep Out! (insert your own punchline here...)
Dom Pedro had told them if they could sneak past the water barrier and the fence that is where the good jobs all are.
Tatiana Tiger: “Damn! My first night out and all I can get to eat is greasy Mexican food!”
If the Kids parents are half as stupid as they raised their son to be they’ll blow their settlement money pronto, but they’ll still have that shiny new Darwin Award trophy on the mantle.
Can we get some tigers for the border?
I could go on and on, This is great joke material”
Sorry ME-262 those are not hateful comments; it’s humor !
Only count as hateful if they don’t touch your funny bone.
Leno should be all over this.
“I know there are no tigers in Africa but they have lions and leopards”
And don’t forget; African Presidents and their henchmen.
Yeah, but 4 stars. I would think an eagle at most
“Why the investigation? There are two people alive that know exactly what happened,are they not talking?,could lawyers be involved?,is there a huge settlement at stake?
Hmmmm.”
They’re going to wait for book deals.
I kept wondering the same thing. Security cameras are everywhere these days. I bet this wasn't the first time taunting was suspected at the Tiger compound. Seems like cameras would have been a no-brainer. Even if they were not used in the interest of the animals, they would be a good deterrent to child molesters interested in the young clientel that a zoo attracts.
One would expect that all of the animal exhibits would have intruder alarms and much more significant fencing.
I’m pretty sure the 4 stars is standard. Chief is the highest rank in police departments. There’s only one per police department.
Reminds me of the Boris Karloff movie called The Ape.
The “keeper” taunts the huge ape until it kills the guy and then escapes and goes on a rampage...
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