[AnotherUnixGeek]

Sigfrid & Roy's tiger who picked him up because he fell just like it would it's baby.

LOL - yeah, I read that incredibly silly explanation by Roy after the tiger sank its fangs in his throat. Some info: female tigers carry their cubs - males (like the tiger that attacked Roy) have no interaction with cubs, except to kill them. Also, female tigers carefully pick up their fragile cubs by the back of their necks, not by clamping down on their throats. Biting the throat is how tigers kill their prey. The tiger's interaction with Roy was a clear example of a tiger striking down it's prey and dragging it away to seclusion - in the wild, the tiger would have then fed.

I guess you wouldn't approve of the two dogs that sleep with us every night either.

Your two dogs are the end-product of thousands of years of domestication and selective breeding for docility and obedience. They also don't have a fraction of the killing power of a tiger, let alone a killer whale in the water.

[kcvl]

http://bolmamabol.blogspot.com/2009/03/after-siegfried-and-roy-tiger-attack.html

[spetznaz]

I totally agree with you. Male tigers are extremely solitary (beautiful amazing) animals that only interact with a tigress during mating season (they are similar to leopards in this behavior). The males do not interact with the cubs ...unless it is to kill them. Lions do interact with cubs (being more social than tigers and leopards), but even there itis tricky ...a male lion (or set of brothers) leading a pride will interact with cubs to some extent, but it is rough and unlike the female members of the pride. Moreover, the MOMENT the male is overthrown by a younger more powerful male, and the pride taken over, the FIRST act of the new king is to kill all cubs so as to bring the lionesses into heat (and destroy the genes of the prior male and replace them with his own). The greatest threat to lion cubs apart from disease and the weather is other lions (male). Thus if Roy Nd Siegfried blamed the attack on a MALE tiger assisting him as it would a cub, they are Right ...right in that a male tiger would be trying to kill the cub.

You are also correct about not comparing a dog (adomesticated animal that is now almost dependent on humans) with a tiger or any large cat. I love animals and spend holidays visiting Kenyan game reserves, and the strength of a lion is prodigious. They can take down wildebeest with one paw swipe. Even a leopard can drag more than its body weight straight up a tree holding it in its jaws. Comparing that with the family lab is a joke ...there are few dogs that I would have to worry about. A leopard, tiger or lion is like a small wilderness deity in terms of what it can bring to bear!

Reminds me of those people who keep Chimps as pets, not knowing that these highy intelligent animals get angry and jealous and murderous at times - and have 6 times (you read that right) the strength of a human male. Chimp attacks normally involve rippig of genitals, noses and ears, and even ripping of limbs out ( I did not say biting out ...literally gripping an arm and ripping it out with sheer strength alone). Some animals are too strong or intelligent for captivity.