Disgusted over tiger incident?

Question

I am. Latest headlines..." Tiger Survivors HOSTILE to Officails." Is there any dobt left that these three were 100% to blame? If they, AFTER surviving the attack are HOSTILE to officials, it doesn't take much to figure out what the poor tiger probably endured. How on earth can people keep supporting these men?

To call them heros is disgusting. If they had set fire to a barn and then one died trying to rescue the others, would we be calling them heros??? I think not, as it was still ILLEGAL and morally WRONG.

As I have posted on many sites today- Roy of Siegfried and Roy is a HERO. His firt communication after his attack was to tell everyone to NOT kill the tiger.

On top of this, it comes as no surprise to me they have prior criminal historys.

God bless the tiger is all I can say. Thumbs down me all you want.

tgibbyso- As far as "some people" valuing animal life over human life" I think the world would be a better place if we all at least put EQUAL value on it. I, for one am tired of "some people" thinking the word animal is synonymous w/ worthless, Tatiana felt no less pain/ fear when she was shot and killed than you or I would, or any less than the men that did this did. YES, I do feel some animals lives are worth more than some humans, as in this case. The degree to which the men did any wrong doing is not the question. Did the tiger do anything wrong? NO. It was acting on instincts God gave it. It didn't ask to be at the zoo. In fact she was there because of hopes that she would breed w/ a male in order to preserve the species. Not for them, but for US and future generations to know the wonder/ beauty of these magnificent creatures. I feel sorry for you, in that you have no love of animals.

FYI- To complete this I think I need to add that I was fortunate enough to spend some one on one time w/ a Siberian tiger and her handler a few years back. Even in a controlled, supervised setting, I had to sign a release/ consent that what I was about to do was dangerous, unpredictable, etc. I was instructed where not to touch, what not to say, etc. I sat beside her as she was being fed a large slab of raw meat, among other things. It was very obvious to me that there is no such thing as a "tame" tiger. She could have easily decided I smelled better than lunch. I am NOT a thrill seeker, but it was the realization of a life long dream- to just touch one of the magnificent creatures. I can't describe what it felt like to do so. They are even more powerful than one would imagine It was an experience that gave me even more respect for these creatures. The picture of she and I hangs above my desk. If I live to be 100, it will remain one of the highlights of my life I am certain

Siegfried and Roy- Yes, they have made a lot of money from the tigers in their shows. They have also given a lot of that money back to support and preserve these creatures in the wild. Of the now less than 150 white tigers in the world, 38-40 can be credited to being alive thanks to them personally. No matter how much money he made, to nearly be killed by one and ask for it's own life to be spared- THAT's a true hero and enough proof to me that they love the creatures. I would rather, in a perfect world NO tiger/ animal be kept in a zoo or captivity period, BUT it's not a perfect world. We have to weigh the good against the bad. In S& R's case, I think the care, love and RESPECT the tigers get from them, is the good outweighing the bad. The tiger I had contact with was very well cared for- a rescue that couldn't have survived in the wild. Again, the good outweighed the bad. I agree w/ the poster that WE should be in the cage viewing THEM in the wild. That is my next dream

Answer 1

Amen... tell it!

Answer 2

To the person above: At this point in the game it is a known FACT that these boys had a criminal record, it is evident if you watch the news. Am I happy that one died? No. But were the boys at least partly responsible for the attack? A probable conclusion from past history of this zoo would say yes. It seems that this particular tiger only showed aggression when it was threatened. When it believed that someone was encroaching on its food or territory.

These boys were not the average teenagers. They, unlike the "average teenager" as some would call them had a history as criminals. In fact, most five-year-olds that I know have the good judgement not to provoke a wild animal. I have to speculate that it is not just that I know very intelligent five-year-olds, just that people of any age know that this is wrong. These particular men had NO reason whatsoever to be at the zoo on CHRISTMAS DAY. I don't know anyone who would get up on Christmas morning, and think "gee, this would be a good day to go to the zoo". That is sort of weird. Did their families even know where they were? I think that we will never know the whole story, b/c I somehow get the idea that these men will not tell the true story of what went on that night. I still find it amazing that some men in their twenties find taunting an animal amusing. How very sad. I am sorry for the loss of life, both of the losses.

Answer 3

Yes I do find it rather fishy, despite the fact that the wall was lower then standards it had been that way and housed tigers for decades. Some people, who came out to exam things at the zoo, told the zoo their wall was fine.

We can look at the fact that wild animals general attack for 4 reasons.
1. Food - Zoo’s feed their animals well.
2. If they feel they are threaten or even more their young.
3. Illness – If the tiger was ill there should have been signs about it earlier
4. Being harassed


The fact these boys have past records of misdeeds, the fact they lied to the father of the young man who got killed, when he called to see where his son was. As he was suppose to be at his mothers home for Christmas dinner. They are being hostile with the police and have record of being so in the past. If these boys were harassing this tiger, perhaps they dangled a limp over the side. There is a shoe print apparently where there shouldn’t be one. Then they should feel ashamed as it cost two innocent life’s, and the life of one that is already on the endangered species list A lie detector test might be an option but that probably wouldn’t be for a while, they need to separate them and put the pressure on them. Hopefully when the two that were injured came in they did blood test to see if there was an alcoholic or drugs in their system, the same for the deceased young man.

I do know that humans instinct is to run and flee but that is not always the best option unless there is someplace close that you feel you can get to safety quickly with in a few seconds. Sometimes its best to drop to the ground quickly, cover your head as best you can and either lie flat or curl into a ball. I learned that on documentary where people have survived animal attacks. Most animals can pick up speed even those who may at most times seem sluggish and slow. A human in most cases will never out run even more if they have already been injured.

Answer 4

I originally thought you were trying to make it a race issue.. Tiger black and therefore sexual predator and Ben white therefore nobody cares. Glad to see that wasn't the case. I agree that both are clearly guilty of terrible decision making is terms of their sexual practices. From all accounts it sounds as if Ben is guilty of merely having sex in a restroom of a bar! Not rape! The DA said there was no evidence for that, therefore we are foolish to assume it was anything less than consentual. Reminds me off Kobe a few years back. As much as I can't stand Kobe, I don't think he raped that crazy lady, much like Ben. For me I see Tiger's issues being far more offensive for the reasons as follows: 1. Tiger is/was married 2. Tiger has kids *** You lose major points for dropping an atomic bomb on your family *** 3. Tiger has marketed himself as an honest family man ** Use your fame that is fine but don't be dishonest!*** 4. The pure numbers involved (Ben at least 2 likely many more, Tiger was 14 or 15?) I view Ben as a sterotypical college male, simply stupid and willing to get with anything with a smile.

Answer 5

If the three friends were provoking the tiger, of course they were at fault. However the zoo was also at fault for:
1) not having a high enough fence
2) not having a system for protecting the tiger from jerks like that. There ought to be a double fence, forcing onlookers to keep a distance away.
In any case, I feel badly for those animals in cages. I prefer the kind of zoo where people get into cages on wheels and can go around a large area visiting animals in their habitats.

Answer 6

Last i saw of this was 24 hours ago, the family wanted answers from the zoo and it seemed like they were considering taking legal action. Now that more light has been shed on the whole thing, i hope the two survivors are held responsible and are sent to jail.

I know the wall wasn't as high as the regulations required, but the tiger had been there for a long time and had never even attempted to escape, this tells me that on this particular time, it was provoked. This whole inicident really could have been avoided if not for those mexicans who probably mistook it for some local zoo over in juarez...

Answer 7

3 New Candidates for the Darwin Award.

With 1 actual Winner of the Darwin Award..


Tiger did what Tigers do,, attack when they feel threatened.

Odd how for 40-50 some odd years a Tiger had Never jumped out of that enclosure before ??????

For those who slept thru High School Biology,,
Man IS NOT the TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN !! only “groceries”

Answer 8

Yea. I know. We will see what ultimately comes to pass. I firmly believe those boys did something to Tatiania the Tiger and she did something about it. That was a "known" trait of hers as she attacked a zoo keeper the year prior... These big wild animals are so much more intelligent than we give them credit for. Nature is harsh and ugly. All you need to is turn on National Geographic when a pride of 30 Lionesses take down a large Elephant. Heartbreaking but the law of order. These boys did something.

Answer 9

I agree with you its sad however you look at it.
Tatiana was a beautiful creature and a loss to her species.
I have been following this story from the beginning since
I live in the bay area.San Francisco Zoo is a great Zoo
and they take very good care of their animals.Too bad they
haven't asked the boys to take a lie detector test.

Answer 10

I agree for the most part. However, I don't think that Roy is a hero. He made a fortune using a wild animal in his act. The animal attacked and everyone acted like it was the world's biggest tragedy. Hello... it's a tiger, that's what tigers do. Just like the Crocodile Hunter. Come on.

I'm not saying that either one deserved to get attacked, but a tragedy or a surprise? That's just stupid.

Answer 11

This is one reason I don't go to the zoo or the circus. Nor do I let my child go, even with family members or friends. I won't even do the petting zoo thing at the county fair. All of it, to me, is abuse.