Roy of Siegfried and Roy Mauled by Tiger!

Fox

[sweetliberty]

"There must be several video records of the show. I wonder if they will be released?"

They said on Fox a little while ago that so far there is not one that is known about since no one is allowed to tape the show. It was not known whether security cameras captured the event.

[Yardstick]

Awww is right! That one's pegging out the Cute-O-Meter :)

[sweetliberty]

"As for whether hippos or tigers kill the most Africas, certainly it is hippos because tigers in Africa are limited"

Obviously it is because hippos are racists. I'll bet most of those Africans killed are black Africans. You don't hear of them killing white Americans do you? < /sarcasm >

[Criminal Number 18F]

The species of animal that kills the most Africans is the anopheles mosquito.

Well, Steve, if we are really gonna pick nits, the species is Plasmodium Falciparum and maybe Plasmodium Ovale. Technically you're correct, though; far more people die everywhere from any of a number of unpleasant microscopic pathogens, than do of physical attack by large animals. On the other hand, since we are talking about Africa, I wonder if anybody has compared the yearly bags of Plasmodium and Homo Sapiens lately? Africans themselves are frequently the #1 killer of Africans. In years they're not, it's not from want of trying.

As far as your comparison of hippos and tigers, you might have missed the sequence of posts, which began with a picture of a delightful hippo baby (cub? What the hell is a juvenile hippo called?) and went on to point out that the harmless-looking vegetarian was a bigger threat than the big cats to humans. The hippo is native only to Africa.

In Africa, the cat that causes the greatest number of human deaths is the leopard, which is exactly because it is smaller than other great cats... it can live in areas dotted with human habitation. It isn't smaller enough that an unarmed human has a fighting chance against it.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[sweetliberty]

"It wouldn't survive very long without hunting skills."

Not only that, but I suspect the coloring is another reason they would be vulnerable, although perhaps not as much so as with typical prey animals with white coloring. They just don't camaflouge very well (well, unless it is in a snowy environment), and camaflouge is crucial for defense.

[Criminal Number 18F]

the cat was making its stage debut. I'm guessing that had a lot to do with it.

man, you've never had stage fright till you've had stage fright at 450 lb., with fangs and claws...

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[sweetliberty]

"FR really makes me sick to my stomach sometimes."

FR really makes The remarks of some FR posters make me sick to my stomach sometimes.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Wasn't Roy the one that didn't like the cats? I saw a interview and you could see that he really didn't like having the cats walk around the house that much.

Looks like the feeling was mutual...

[sweetliberty]

"What the hell is a juvenile hippo called?"

A calf.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Eyewitness said that Roy was trying to get the cat to sit and may have hit it in the snout with the microphone and the cat lunged at Roy.

This wojuld never have happened to Liberace. He could have beaten the cat with his Steinway.

[Countyline]

"Animals generally only kill to eat and in self-defense (whether the threat is real or perceived as I suspect is the case here) or defense of their young,"

Dominance is a major factor. They behave when then are convinced of a dominate leader. (As in leader of the pack). Young males grow up to challenge the aging leader. This often ends in death or maiming of the loser.

This cat must have thought it could be dominate ... the circumstance was strange and may have brought unusual stress on it.

[sweetliberty]

Yes, you're right about the dominance thing and it may have played a role. I still think that the unfamiliar surroundings, the lights, the noise of the crowd all combined to set the tiger off when it was suddenly startled by an accidental bump with the microphone (if that was the case) or something in its immediate environment....a fight or flight kind of reaction. Perhaps Roy even had an extra dose of nervousness that the tiger could sense due to the very fact that this WAS its first performance, and the tiger would sense "nervousness" or fear as weakness.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Sounds like the tiger may have hit the jugular. If that's the case, is recovery even possible?

It's difficult to imagine being dragged off the stage by the throat in the grip of a 1,000 lb tiger without sustaining severe injury. Probably they were able to stop the bleeding and stabilize his vital functions. Their latest statement, something about needing a few days to be sure, refers to checking for brain damage after he regains consciousness. I hope the poor soul fully recovers.

[Michael81Dus]

Oh, ok. Thanks for the info.

[Criminal Number 18F]

Re: two versions of Roy hitting the tiger.

bear in mind that initial reports are almost always factually imperfect. Reporters do try but they are at the mercy of what they hear from witnesses -- and ask any cop or lawyer how reliable eyewitness testimony really is (although, right after the incident, it's at its best... it's downhill from there).

I've been thinking about this. Here is a guy who has 30 years or whatever experience training these animals, and by all accounts remains wary of them. No dummy. He isn't just gonna whack the beast and provoke it. It is possible that a nose strike is a recommended defensive move for this. I did some looking on the net and found a set of recommendations for an encounter with mountain lions (US) but nothing on real lions and tigers, yet.

http://www.ci.boulder.co.us/openspace/nature/lions_bears.htm#meet_lion

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[meowmeow]

Vegas Vacation Memories ping!

Didn't our Vegas cousins tell us there was some wild Vegas rumor that Roy had died years ago of aids and this was another Roy? I'm glad I got my time in the Tiger cage with "Tess" - can't see Republicanaut ever letting me do THAT again!

Anyway, prayers for this Roy - those guys take good care of their big kitties.

[Conservative til I die]

Actually, I have seen on Animal Planet segments they've done on animal trainers for the movies, and one guy who trains leopards and other big cats was wrestling the cat, and when the cat got just a little too excited and its instincts kicked in, started to play a little rough. The trainer basically whacked it hard on the nose with his fist. Brought it down like a mallet in those wack-a-mole games. Guess it's animal trainer code for "Knock it off." The animal responded.

[BooBoo1000]

I just came from from the Mirage, they are featuring " Tiger Burgers" at pool side.

[Criminal Number 18F]

Sounds like the tiger may have hit the jugular. If that's the case, is recovery even possible?

As long as a flow of oxygenated blood to Roy's brain was not interrupted for long enough to cause some of the brain tissue to die, he should be OK that way. We don't know what other damage to his neck (there's a lot of important gears and pulleys in there...!) but with the grace of God he will be alright. The important thing is to correct the life threatening (and brain-threatening) blood loss and circulatory damage. Then, when the docs have that under control, they heave a sigh of relief and start looking for nerve, bone, muscle and connective tissue damage.

It's natural for these cats to go for the neck... it's their instinct and what they do with their prey in the wild. Usually they break their intended lunch's neck.

However later news stories seem to indicate that he is doing better and is going to live... that's something anyway.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Criminal Number 18F]

Guess it's animal trainer code for "Knock it off."

I thought I had read or heard something like that, but can't find a reference. Thanks for your recollection.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F