Playing with fire is safer...
This reminds me of a story that appeared in the local media about 20 years ago. We have an amusement park called "Marine World Africa USA" in northern California, in the city of Vallejo for those of you who know California.
During this time the Marine World use to feature Bengal tigers walking freely around the park restrained only by a thin chain that could not hold a determined angry toy poodle! When I took my eight year old son to the park and we were suddenly confronted by one of these tigers he could not stop petting the beautiful cat. My heart was in my throat the entire time and I gently pulled my son away and walked in the opposite direction. I gave the handler a scowl and he told me "He would not hurt anyone. He was born here and is completely domesticated."
Apparently the handlers were very confindent with their ability to control these "domesticated" cats and started showing them at the local high schools.
Freemont High School's mascot is a tiger. You guessed it. Marine World thought it would be a great idea to feature one its cats at the Friday afternoon school football rally in the main auditorium. The students were not aware that a live Bengal tiger was going to come on stage to kick off the rally.
At the start of the rally a announcement was made and the students were told they could expect a "neat" surprise. Very shortly after the announcement, from behind the curtain a 450 pound Bengal tiger came on stage with a handler who was restraining the cat with a very thin chain.
At the sight of the tiger the students collectively gasped and then fell silent. Within moments they started cheering and screaming wildly. They thought this was the "coolest" thing in the world. The high pitched screams of 2,000 students freaked the tiger and it stood up on its hind legs and growled -- very loudly.
The students shocked back into reality immediately stopped screaming and looked petrified. The tiger returned to all fours and fell silent. The students relieved and visions of being eaten alive gone, soon started talking. At first in only hushed tones. Then they started giggling nervously within no time at all they were yelling, screaming and cheering again.
Freaked again, the tiger this time bolted from his handler and leaped into the crowd of students. Two thousand students were in sheer panic. They were screaming, crying, pushing, running and shoving their way to the exit doors. Meanwhile the tiger is literally on the backs of students leaping from one group of huddled and terrified students to another.
Nobody could control the students or the tiger. The exit doors were smashed, the counselors, teachers and coaches looked on in horror, and the handler tried desperately to control the vaulting tiger with verbal commands.
After about two minutes of absolute terror the tiger was restrained. Amazingly not one student was killed. Officials at Marine World told the media that the tiger was not angry. It was just very happy and excited like the students. When the students started cheering and yelling the tiger just wanted to be part of the celebration.
I do not remember everything that happened but I do remember one 16 year old male required over 70 stitches to close the wound on his back. Apparently while leaping from student to student the tiger's claws ripped the clothes and flesh off many young students.
Hey, if a happy tiger can send dozens of students to the hospital by being playful can you imagine how much damage and angry tiger could do?
I pleased to note that the policy of allowing tigers to walk freely around the park with minimal restraints has been curtailed at Marine World for the past 20 years.