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Posted on 07/14/2004 4:22:17 AM PDT by 11th Earl of Mar
Tarzan's Escaped Tiger Killed in Fla. By JILL BARTON ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. (AP) -
0713tiger-escape A movie actor who once played Tarzan criticized authorities for killing a tiger that escaped from his home, saying the animal had a "heart of gold."
The 6-year-old tiger was shot and killed Tuesday when it lunged at a wildlife officer who was trying to capture it.
Steve Sipek, who developed a soft spot for jungle beasts after playing Tarzan in B-movies decades ago, said he doubted the tiger had to be killed.
He said he would have been able to coax the tiger, named Bobo, if officers had called him to the scene before shooting it.
"Murder is the word," Sipek said. "They murdered a poor helpless animal that only looked ferocious, as any tiger would, but Bobo had a heart of gold."
A dozen wildlife trackers and sheriff's deputies had searched more than 24 hours for the animal, which escaped Monday. They had kept watch Tuesday in a five-acre area of dense slash pines and palm trees, hoping to catch it.
Officers approached the tiger intending to shoot it with tranquilizers. But the tiger jumped at one officer, who shot it with a shotgun in self-defense, said Jorge Pino, a spokesman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"Needless to say, the owner is very distraught. We're distraught," Pino said. "Our concern was to recover this tiger alive and well."
Some nearby residents, who moved to the rural area so they could have room for their own pets, were less sympathetic.
"What I want to know is when he was in captivity, how long did he go without a feeding?" said Kim Smith, who has horses and dogs that she normally keeps outside.
"Tigers are predatorial. All of us moved out here because we're city people wanting a taste of the country. But this is a little funky."
Wildlife officials had said they did not believe the declawed pet would attack. He was never taught to hunt, and had never killed anything or lived in the wild. However, he did bite a woman working inside his cage two years ago, severely injuring her.
An expert on tiger behavior disagreed that Bobo had posed no danger.
"Tigers are wild animals and they retain hard-wired instincts and to say just because a tiger doesn't have his claws - so what? He still has his teeth and they're powerful," said Ron Tilson, conservation director at the Minnesota Zoo.
Sipek's compound sits about 10 miles from West Palm Beach, just off a main east-west thoroughfare. Sipek has another tiger, a panther, a cougar and lions on his five-acre compound, which is marked by a sign that reads, "Trespassers will be eaten."
"He never should have had these animals in the first place," said Andrea Newell, who grew up two doors away and was visiting family on Tuesday.
The tiger's escape and the shooting were under investigation, officials said.
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Here kitty - kitty . . here kitty - BOOM!
Some humans suck, some cats eat humans.
Tough.............. gotta have good vibes.
Self defense. If a 600lb cat crouched at me with its ears down, I'd do the same thing.
But first I'd have tried throwing it a few whole mackerel and a couple of gallons of milk and see if would settle him down and make him more succeptible to a tranquilzer dart.
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LOL!
Throw that cat a 'Leg of Hillary' or a couple of 'Calves of Hillary'!
This 700 pound tiger was loose in a residential neighborhood
for a day.
The cat was spotted and as animal control was on the way to tranqualize it it started after a cop who in self protection shot and killed it.
The animal had no business living in this guys home in a residential neighborhood to begin with.
While the neighborhood is semi rural and the lots are acres, 5-10-acres or more, this kind of animal doen't belong near people.
Sorry, for the cat but it is solely the fault of its owner.
Woman attacked by Tiger while painting Tarzan's home
From Ananova News 3 rd February 2002
A Florida woman has been attacked by a tiger while decorating the home of a former Tarzan actor.
Carol Pistilli was bitten on the back of her head by four-year-old Bobo as she painted part of his cage.
Steve Sipek has a permit to keep two lions, four tigers, a black leopard and a cougar in his home.
He allows the big cats to wander the premises and even sleeps in the same area. A sign outside his home in Loxahatchee warns trespassers will be eaten, reports the Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Wildlife officers say Mr Sipek looks after his animals well and the incident was an accident. Mrs Pistilli, 58, is in hospital but her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
It is reported she had fed some of the big cats steaks a few minutes before the attack and thought the animals had gone outside when she walked into their cage.
Mr Sipek said: "She didn't think to close the door. She started painting and he pounced on her. Bobo, he's a wonderful cat. He wouldn't hurt anybody. He's a puppy, not a tiger."
Mr Sipek starred as Tarzan in two films under the name Steve Hawkes. He says he fell in love with big cats when a lion dragged him away from a fire on a film set.
© Ananova, 3 rd February 2002
I don't know about the tiger-saving but this guy's career was ended after he was burned over a significant % of his body in an accident on a film set @ 1976.
You forgot the cankles.
Sipek sounds like a loon who should have the rest of his animals removed since he couldn't keep this one secured.
"He also claims that once, when he was "horribly burned over 90" of body in movie set accident, a tiger ran onto set to rescue him"
What a loon. I bet a tiger fetches his morning paper too and another one brings him brandy when he gets cold skiing.
LOL, "Loon"--9 seconds apart!
I'm sticking to dogs.When mine gets overexcited a simple "hey" or "no" works fine.No need to fetch a gun.Of course my dog does'nt weigh 600 lbs.
I think that makes our determination official. ("Great minds" and all.)
Why didn't he just climb up a tree and do that Tarzan yell and summon all the other animals around and shout "UN-GOW-WA! and let them go out and find the tiger? Must not have been a very good Tarzan...
Florida is full of people keeping various wild and exotic animals as pets, particularly in the more rural areas. The animals are generally retired from the circus or the theme parks, or from use in movies. I live in North Central Florida, and I can go out for a drive and see a monkey "retirement home" in one place, several camels, zebras and a gnu grazing in another, and yet another with a couple of signs warning people not to enter (I assume these folks keep large beasts of prey). And many of the people who keep these animals are just a tad bit eccentric, which is fine - one of the things I like about Florida is that there is still room for the eccentric.
However, the cop was perfectly justified. It's too bad about the tiger, but these animals kill by grabbing the head of their victim and punching those great big teeth right into the skull. It happens very quickly and you don't have time to sit down and reason with kitty.
A tiger is a tiger.
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