Tiger Attacks, Kills Teen Posing For Senior Pictures

AP ^ | 08/18/05

[Undertow]

Tiger Attacks, Kills Teen Posing For Senior Pictures

POSTED: 6:33 pm EDT August 18, 2005

UPDATED: 6:56 pm EDT August 18, 2005

MOUND VALLEY, Kan. -- A Bengal tiger attacked and killed a teenage girl Thursday at a southeast Kansas animal sanctuary.

Haley Hilderbrand, 17, of Altamont, Kan., was posing with the tiger for her senior high school pictures at the Lost Creek Animal Sanctuary.

A news release from the Labette County Sheriff's Office said the big cat was being restrained by its handler, but it attacked the teenager, anyway.

The 7-year-old tiger was killed.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[softwarecreator]

Hilarious!!!!

[BenLurkin]

Indeed.

[Lazamataz]

but the 'gallow's humor' excuse does not apply to them, because they don't need to "deal with" something that never affected them at all.

My experience is that I am profoundly affected by other people's losses.

[Nita Nupress]

I think this is the hyena story. http://www.rsa-overseas.com/weekly/old5a.htm#six

[Lazamataz]

Like the one where business dad and his long-haired son are arguing in the morning before Dad leaves on a business trip, and as dad is walking out the door, he says to his son, "And why don't you get that hair cut!"

WAAAAAAAHHHHH (sob sob)

[hobbes1]

THey are the Most magnificent of the Animals IMHO.

[Nita Nupress]

The boy's family ended up suing. Gee, what a surprise.
http://www.riccilaw.com/CM/News/shea_complaint_001.pdf

[Nita Nupress]

And of course the safari company countersued.
http://www.law.fsu.edu/library/flsupct/sc03-1704/03-1704ini.pdf

(Yes, I'm talking to myself.)

[sheik yerbouty]

The tiger said "It's what's for dinner!' Seriously, what kind of idiots think these pictures up?

[Nita Nupress]

And now, for the rest of the story...

St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
July 8, 2005 South Pinellas Edition

TALLAHASSEE; JACKSONVILLE; WEST PALM BEACH

Father of boy killed by hyenas can't file suit

The father of a boy mauled to death by hyenas in Africa cannot sue the Fort Lauderdale company that arranged the trip, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday, reversing a lower court.

The boy's mother, Molly Jacobs, of Brooklandville, Md., arranged the trip with her son, Mark Garrity Shea, in July 2000. While the 11-year-old was sleeping alone in a tent, hyenas dragged him away from the campsite and killed him.

Jacobs tried to sue Global Travel Marketing, which arranged the 25-day safari. But she failed, partly because she signed a waiver absolving Global Travel of liability for death or injury and calling for binding arbitration of any disputes.

A Florida circuit court ruled that Jacobs' signature also bound Jacobs' ex-husband and the boy's father, Mark R. Shea, to the results of the arbitration, but the 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach disagreed. The Florida Supreme Court's decision on Thursday quashed that ruling.

---

Okay, I'm done now.

[spiffy]

You just keep on posting, Nita. Thanks for the info. Hyenas are a particularly dastardly species, in my opinion. Tigers are beautiful creatures.

[Lady Jag]

I am particularly fond of felines, too.

Cheetahs used to be kept as pets.
I'll take one!

[Eagles Talon IV]

But it was fright that caused the animal to attack. I just don't understand why a beautiful animal that has been removed from it's natural habitat and that was doing nothing at all unusual for its species to have done, has been destroyed.

[TheForceOfOne]

No, this was a story about a family on a African Safari. The tragedy happened while the tour guide(s) and the family were in the vehicle watching the Lions from what seemed like a safe distance when, either the mother or the father held the child up and extended the child outside the vehicle when a Lion ran up and ripped it out of the hands of the parent and ran away with it in its mouth.

The child was limp and bloody as it was carried away by the Lion and the parents were just screaming their heads off. know one tried to stop the Lions or didn't have the ability to do anything. It was sad, I think I saw it on the evening news at least 10 years ago.

[daviscupper]

I agree. At least they curtailed the practice.

[freepatriot32]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

List of Ping lists

[daviscupper]

I guess. I am glad they curtailed the practice. Their lawyers propably introduced them to "Litigation 101."

[Iron Eagle]

That's sad. But -- it reminds me of the line by Comedian Chris Rock when he described the attack on Siegfried and Roy.

"The tiger didn't go crazy! He went TIGER!"

Tigers attack and kill for their food. Man's attempt to deprogram them notwithstanding, they do tend to revert to being what they are -- TIGERS.

[freepatriot32]

hell if the ecologists havetheir way there will be thousands of these things roaming the midwest free as a bird in the future

Group Wants to Bring African Animals to North America

[mware]

I haven't gone through the whole thread yet but does anyone know if this was a school sanctioned photo shoot???

At our local high school, they have one photographer agency take all the photos.