If that’s true that they were taunting the tiger then………..oh well, good for the tiger. Lesson learned, don’t mess with something that’s ahead of you on the food chain.

Just heard update on the 2 injured…good news…they are stable….

How stupid to taunt an animal like that…

This shows the world that there are still stupid people in existance. I remember watching a BMW trying to stay close to a bull elephant at Krueger park. It’s amazing how much damage a bull elephant can do to a BMW.

Taunting or no taunting it is criminal that the enclosure was insufficient to contain the animal. This animal had also mauled a worker through the cage in 2006.

Police went after what they thought might be 1 - 4 300 pound tigers in the dark with handguns… STUPID. At the minimum a short rifle or 12 gauge with slugs should have been employed. Of course this being CA the concept that people should be allowed to carry firearms to protect themselves is out of the question.

I’m bored of tigers. Eat more ice-cream, Houser!

How were they taunting the tiger?

Perhaps they just preferred the white meat !!!!

Stupid boys got what they deserved. Teasing, taunting an animal. Poor tiger attacked before. Apparently she was distressed about something. Being in a zoo maybe. Being in jail. A life sentence for what? Being a wild animal. My heart aches for the cat. I’m relieved for her that she’s gone. Don’t screw with animals. Grown men should know better.

So far it sounds like the victims were young men and were taunting a caged wild animal.

Very manly behavior…..

This was a preventable accident. I’m sorry that one of the individuals was killed but the tiger was only behaving like a tiger. I’d say that animal was pretty riled up to have the energy to jump a 15 ft moat and 20 ft fence. Shame on those young men.

Zoo’s should kick folks out who are misbehaving towards the animals.

This is so sad. We used to live in San Jose and visited the SF zoo often, even taking yearly field trips with my 3rd grade classes. One of our favorite parts was watching the feeding of the tigers.

Ken - the police went in with what they had in order to protect the people in the zoo. Of course they would have loved to have different/better equipment but really, who thinks they are going to encounter a Siberian tiger while on the job? It is their job to serve and protect, not wait until they have bigger guns.

Adam - thanks for working this story and getting the story out. You are doing a great job!

Ken must be a liberal. If these men taunted the tiger then they got what they had coming; an unfortunate occurance for which the zoo should not be held responsibility. There should be high fine ordinances against taunting captive animals in zoos. Increased surveillance cameras should also be installed in zoos. We no longer live in the innocent 50’s; a much larger number of young people these days are violent, hold little respect for other living things, or at the very least are looking for trouble on way or another.

Why shoot the tiger? It was just helping us through “natural selection”. Taunting a 300 pound carnivore - our gene pool is more than just a little polluted! The tiger was just culling our herd.

It is unfortunate that the use of the word “taunting” was not held in reserve until facts substantiated whether “taunting” actually occurred and played a significant role in the attacks. Adam demonstrated questionable maturity in his initial presentation of “taunting” and then a backing away from it. This is a case with great potential for human error by zoo employees and the city of San Francisco itself. The potentiality is for a significant law suit against the city. Planting the seed of “taunting” offers the city a point of attack against the three victims. CNN presented an entirely different view with a denial by the police that there was substantiated “taunting”.

If “taunting” proves to be a non-issue, Adam should be assigned to the zoo’s woodshed.

D. Neu has a good point.

The news says the identity of the man killed is not known as he did not have any i.d. on him. Don’t the two surviving men know him. Did they not come to the zoo together? or did they meet in front of the tiger cage and all decide to taunt the tiger together?

Just in………..two malaria ladened mosquitos just attacked a young man in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in what appears to be a completely unprovoked attack………………That’s it, armegedon is here…………..run for your lives.

Being San Francisco we can only assume that the three young men taunting the tiger were brain dead thugs out of a Dirty Harry movie. Normally, the “victims” would be afforded hero status in San Francisco but I suppose animal rights trumps victimhood even here. Lets just hope the three men aren’t gay or transsexual or no telling where this will lead; perhaps to the demise of the zoo.

If taunting took place that is not okay. AND the zoo keeper experts should know the abilities of these animals***cats can climb! The displays for these animals should be designed for people and animal safety, so that nothing can go in or get out.
Makes me think somone left the back door open.

Dr. Eisenbart——–Adam was told by a source within the San Fran PD—he’s only Reporting what the Authorities told him. No charges will be brought against Adam.

Ken is very foolish. Maybe, he should taunt a few tigers, but from the inside of their cage.

I think those 2 guys who survived should be up on charges if what is being reported is true. What are they doing there after the zoo closed? How did the tiger make it up the 20 foot wall that’s what I would like to know, unless that is not true either and these “youths” opened the enclosure.

I feel sorry for the tiger more than anything else, she was a beautiful animal. It was so sad to see those pictures of her dead.

I consider myself a fairly strong animal rights advocate but, IMHO, people seem awefully quick to say the deceased deserved death for what is an awefully vauge ‘taunting’ accusation.

Taunting? Do we know if they yelled or threw rocks? Do we know if they made some noise to get the animal’s attention in order to capture a photo? Do we know if they really did or said anything? No. We only have the author’s single word characterization of an unidentified source who most likely was not an eyewitness.

The animal certainly did not deserve to be shot for its behavoir, but if tranquilization was not possible to prevent an imminent threat to more people (be they accused of ‘taunting’ or not), then I believe the officers did the right thing.

I am always baffled as to how many evil-hearted animal deists are quick to believe that the creature is never at fault—that people are always to blame for animal attacks. What you folks need to do is develop some critical thinking skills by not accepting an initial story from the media as fact. The American media is tainted with bias (which is why their material is unacceptable for research). So far, no evidence has been unveiled proving that the victims of this malevolent beast were harassing it prior to the slaughter. Even if they were—so what! It does not excuse the zoo from its responsibility in maintaining safe enclosures. Furthermore, I can personally attest from living in Alaska for many years that most of our bear attacks are unprovoked by humans. If you read information published by anyone that is contrary, they are liars.

I’m not any kind of animal expert. I think I read this (or watched it) on Discovery Channel. Some tigers like water and swim quite well. All cats can swim if they either want or have to. Tigers are meat and fish eaters. They are able to fish if they want to. If you taunt any animal in a zoo or a home you deserve what you get. Animals can and will get even. I don’t care if the animal is the size of a lap dog they all have teeth, claws, and ability to use them Treat them with respect. I’m in favor of the tiger if those three were taunting him.

Sharon in Kentucky

The ONLY way the tiger could get out was through the door, and the only way out through the door was if someone opened it. Hmmm.

Wow, there are some stupid people here. I love the assumption that I am a “liberal”, what a joke. Bottom line is that it is the zoo’s responsibility to ensure the enclosures suitably contain the animals. That is for both their and the public’s safety. Now we have one dead person, two mauled people and one dead tiger because the enclosure was not properly constructed. Now some people here appear to believe an animal’s life is worth more than a person’s because they may or may not have taunted the animal. The whole “taunting” issue is also fast disappearing but was an easy way to quickly divert attention from the zoo’s responsibility for a while.

Taunting animals in a zoo is wrong and grounds for expulsion. It is not grounds for execution.

As far as the police being better armed for such an encounter; it is normal for many jurisdictions across the nation to issue either a rifle (AR-15 being the norm) or more commonly a shotgun (Remington 870 the norm) to each car. That is NOT as common in places where “public perception” is an issue. The police who responded should have been better equipped from the get go. There should be no need to wait for suitable arms to become available.

They should have let the tiger finish its last supper. They all diserve it. One of them must
have let it out.

We are dealing with a predator here. Irregardless whether the attack was provoked or not, predators kill. I too have spent time in Alaska and was always warned that a bear will only attack if it feels that it is being provoked or it is hungry. You just being in the area can make the animal feel like it’s being provoked, or that you are trying to compete with it’s food source. All predators are extremely territorial and just being “too close” can provoke an attack.

Adam,

Looks like you have the lead story of the day, you are doing a great job covering this…

Waiting for News Conference….

It’s all been said above. I agree that if they taunted the tiger, they had it coming. Isn’t there a saying, “don’t pull the tiger’s tail” or something like that? I think these guys are Darwin Award contestants. Most wild animals (in my experience) will leave you alone if you aren’t threatening them. I feel that tiger was provoked. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t hungry. She was most likely threatened and so she attacked. I’d put money on it.

News Flash!!! Tigers have been killing people for hundreds of years with normally no taunting involved at all!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1LjG7S8aqJg

The attack occurs FAST at just over 2 minutes.

Guess what, tigers kill people. If a tiger is out of its enclosure at a zoo it is a fair bet it is going to kill someone.

http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=86265

All of these people must have been taunting the tigers also…

There is nothing wrong with admiring and respecting wildlife but one should remember it is WILDlife. Many seem to forget that, like the moron who got himself and his girlfriends eaten by a bear in Alaska. Many animals, if given the opportunity will attack. The concept of “provocation” means many different things to different species. “Taunting” a Hippo could simply be being between it and water but you are just as dead. Taunting a tiger or bear could be simply being in its territory.

Listening to Jamie this am on FOX, saying “our thoughts & prayers are with the family members of the victims”, after a person from the FL ZOO, gave some insight to what TIGERS do when being in a ZOO setting, was so dumb on Jamies part. That’s obvious our thoughts are with family members.. but she made it sound like the TIGER deserved to be killed, since “this TIGER had done this before”, refering to last years mauling of a handler. Why shouldn’t we also feel bad that a beautiful TIGER was killed, possibly due to taunting, (probably being taunted daily) . The TIGER, was doing what a WILD animal does.

This attack happened in San Francisco……where a large percentage of the population is gay. Then if you remember a few years ago didn’t Roy of Siegfried and Roy get attacked by one of their tigers? Does anybody else see a connection?

LOL mIKE … GOOD THOUGHT…

I didn’t mean to imply a tiger’s life more valuable than a person’s but there is a saying be careful what you ask for you might get it. My 10 lb ordinary housecat could jump from the floor to the top of the kitchen cabinets (14″ from ceiling) without getting on the counter top. Cats have the ability to do this without a running start. Any animal can turn on you for what to us is no reason we can see. An unarmed person doesn’t have a chance against an animal attack unless they are very lucky. You wouldn’t step in front of a train, it’s dangerous so’s the tiger.

I am a veterinarian that has worked with dangerous wild animals in captivity for 20 years. It appears that the authorities responded appropriately. If a wild animal escapes and kills a human, the public must be protected. Preferably the animals do not escape, but if they do they should be sedated and returned to their enclosure safely unless people are in eminent danger. The zoo has the responsibility to contain the animals so they cannot escape, even if taunted. The public wants natural enclosures, so escapes are possible. Tigers have killed about 18 people since 1990 and will continue if they come in direct contact with humans. Animal welfare is keeping them in a safe, contained environment with good animal care and healthcare. Animal rights means they have the same rights as humans. Please use the terminology correctly. We all should be in favor of animal welfare and human rights to live.

They’ve been killing people in the wild for hundreds of years because we are either a food item, hunting them or threatening their territory, not because they are malicious and evil. They have a built in survival instinct just like we do. The tiger killed those guys because they threatened her in some manner or created a situation in which she was released (IMO).

This was a human driven tragedy all the way around. If you don’t want to be attacked or eaten by something, then it makes sense not to put yourself in a situation or place where there is a high probability of that happening.

Hiking in Glacier National Park or in the Alaska wilderness comes with a potential of being attacked by a Grizzly. That’s where they live so just expect it. People shoot Grizzlies in their proximity “unprovoked” because of the potential risk to their health whether the animal charges or not. Why are we shocked when other animals preemtively strike? I makes sense to me.

First off, Helen…you’re an idiot…learn to spell! Secondly, Dr. Eisenbart…you try to write to impress but your very boring…you obviously specialize in inflammed anal cavities. And Sharon…you’re cool and my kind of gal…I have a few lion tricks for you! Here’s what really happened…but please remember we’re in San Fransisco people; Two flamers were trying to shove what appeared to be a hampster up the 3rd flamers dirt road unknowingly realizing this is a Siberian Tigers favorite snack. Apparently, the poor tiger was tired of round steak day-in and day-out and when he saw a ‘cats delicacy’ getting fudge packed up the 3rd flamers poop shoot, the tiger couldn’t maintain/resist any longer so he tore out after that little furry morsale and they (fudge packers) were unfortunantly in the way. The three flamers were actually leaving the state the next day, so they figured they would pack their sh$# the night before! See…it’s that simple!

In response to Ron DeWitt: Why are you describing this tiger as a “malevolent beast”? That would entail that it was evil to the core and that it’s only motive for this attack was based on evil intentions. I’m not sure how you figure that this is the case here but I have a better theory. I think that maybe the 3 “amigos” were wearing Puff Daddy shirts and that somehow angered this “malevolent beast” as you called her because it does not fancy retarded music so she leaped over the fence to rid the world of the 3 “elements of evil”. Maybe she thought that by gutting them with her teeth their insides might have contained cupcakes. And maybe this “malevolent beast” fancied the taste of freshly baked cupcakes. I’m probably wrong on this theory but until all facts are in that’s all any of these comments are based on… theories. And since we’re all theorizing might as well get creative and have fun with it eh?

I cannot believe what I am reading. My God, these young men were someone’s CHILDREN. Tigers are WILD ANIMALS. Regardless of “if” these young men were taunting the animal or not, it is the zoo’s responsibility to contain these wild animals in a safe enclosure. Zoos provide an educational environment for which we are able to show our children animals they may never be able to see else where. Zoos must follow regulations and guidelines that are enforced by sections of the government. IT IS NOT THESE YOUNG MEN’S FAULT. I DO NOT CARE WHAT THEY WERE DOING. The animals in the zoo are well feed and have medical care. But, one must not forget what they are…wild. what the hell is wrong with you Rosie??? Some Mother lost her son(s) on Christmas and you are worried about the tiger?? While I agree, the tiger should not of been killed, it was doing what nature intended it to do. These young men did not deserve to die. Jesus, what kind of world do we live in when most of the blogs I have read say that these boys deserved to die. You should all be spanked.

The person who said a large percentage of SF is gay is wrong, perhaps 5-10% at the very most. I live in the suburbs, visit and do business in city from time to time. While it is a liberal city and the gay population makes a lot of noise, most people you come across in the city are far from being gay.

Zaden the Malamute…you’re cool man. Andrea…so…are you really serious about the spankings I’ve been a really bad little boy this Christmas season by the way I wanted santa to bring me an Infinity QX56 and now it’s been delayed so now I’m really pissed…I think I’ll go out and smoke a fag. Lesson#1…never ever screw with a tiger…whether caged or not. Haven’t you watched the discovery or animal channels lately…they’re some bad mama jama’s!!! Hey Andrea…don’t mess with Rosie…it’s obvious she’s a bunny hugging tree loving smelly little freak who never shaves her underarms. I bet if she raised her arm it would look like she had Buckwheat in a head lock! Girls like her put animals before screaming flamers and normal people.

Cage wild people to observe…..
and stop caging wild animals for amusement.

I am shocked at the insensitivety, close mindedness, and shear brutality of the comments that the kids “deserved being killed by the tiger.” Many people have said that today. By saying that, you are much more CRUEL than a few kids “supposedly” taunting the tigers. They are just kids, remember? And, sinced wehn did taunting become a death sentence? You all are mainiacal in your desires to equate an animal’slife to that of a human being. Did they really deserve a death sentence for taunting? Have you lost your minds?? Have some compassion for their families. Sensitivety training for the animal activist is a must. They are bigoted towards humans. No kid “derserve” to be killed by a tiger. If I were the dead kid’s father, I would have liked nothing more than firing a slug in that killer tiger’s head!!

Hold on now…stop the train! SteveL…that comment you just made has “I’m a serious pole smoker” flashing in neon across your entire unibraw forehead! And do you make this a habit to come across faggots all the time…I’m sure you do other things but we won’t go there…yet! You got your percentages bassakwards…it’s 10-15% normal people and rest are fudge packers!

SteveL - Imagine your in the locker room of your favorite athletic club showering and getting ready for work. 1 out of every 10 guys is checking you out in there according to your numbers. I don’t care where your from, if your straight that is a large percentage.

I do understand that SF is not as bad as the loud voices tend to make your city out to be, Michael Savage not included.

It is sad that someone died but I prefer to look at this as a learning opportunity vs a total tragedy. Andrea mentioned that zoos are meant to be educational environments and this situation has provided an opportunity to learn several things (IMO): dangerous wild animals belong in the wild and not in close proximity to people for human amusement. Poor judgement and consequences for our actions can sometimes result in death to ourselves and others. Despite extreme efforts to prevent tragedy, some people are just hell bent on doing stupid things. You can’t fix stupid. Disrespect for dangerous animals, people and situations can result in tragedy and death. We all need to embrace personal responsibility and accept that actions have consequences. I don’t think anyone “deserves to die” but if you put yourself in a situation that greatly increases your chances of death, then no one should be surprised when that happens.

I know, I know…all the facts aren’t in but I strongly believe these 3 guys played a profound role in their fates that evening. I can feel sorry for someone who experiences a true accident just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I can’t feel too badly for someone who brings a tragic situation on because of their own stupidity, arrogance or need for excitement.

Now Mike….imagine your in the locker room of your “not so favorite” athletic club showering when SteveL walks in with a 300lb black dude named bubba and you drop a bar of soap…are you gonna just bend right over and pick it up in front of SteveL and Bubba or are you gonna slide it over to a safe area and then safley bend over and pick it up? If you answered the second choice, you’re are not a fag or your a fag who has zero interest in being known as a chocolate pole smoker! Now if Rosie walked it, there would be no soap available because it would all be used for her hairy Angela Davis looking body!

Aside from figuring out why this happened, (personally I believe John’s theory above involving the gerbil) the only thing left to do take care of the tigers remains.

They could make a nice throw rug out of the cat for one of the victims to take home. Or maybe a toilet seat cover and one of those little rugs that fit around the base.

Then there is the meat, they said it was a “rare” siberian tiger. Were they talking about population numbers or how long to cook it? I would think south west marinade and a quick trip across a hot mesquite grill would be good eating.

Is taunting a female tiger the same thing as cat calling? My sources tell me the three of them were free-basing catnip and giving it to the animal….it just had a bad trip.

Ok David…since when is a 19 yr old and two 20 yr olds kids? Quote today taken from the butt nut David…No kid “derserve” to be killed by a tiger. If I were the dead kid’s father, I would have liked nothing more than firing a slug in that killer tiger’s head!! Ok…it should be “deserves” with an “s” you non-writing retard and secondly, the father needs a slug in his head for not raising his kids the proper way and to respect and animal that has the potential of tearing open you nut sack and sticking your head through it! And when is not spelled “wehn” you retard! Ever heard of spell check? Hello McFly!!!

Mike…Your cool man. Sorry for the pole smoker thing…guess I reacted just like the tiger did…see, it can happen to the best of us! Props on the rare joke…good one!

Boo Hoo Andrea. Zoos suck. Mean people suck. I can’t believe I got sucked into all this bull. I state my opinion and get a sermon. They broke the rules. @#$%

Statement previously made by Mike: This attack happened in San Francisco……where a large percentage of the population is gay. Then if you remember a few years ago didn’t Roy of Siegfried and Roy get attacked by one of their tigers? Does anybody else see a connection?

Yes I do…the connection is it’s very obvious that Siberian Tigers hate fags! There’s absolutely no room in heaven for fags…God didn’t create Adam and Steve so when we’re all gone from this fag loving world, the animals have to have something to eat and what better thing to eat than a nice tender little limp wristed fairy? This whole thing isn’t about a tiger attacking someone…it’s about fairy eating tigers and what’s to come in the near future so you better decide what’s more important…pole smoking or living right and forgetting all this faggot lifestyle crap and be real men and gain respect from the animal kingdom and human population as well. If I had a son who was a fag, I would jump into a lions cage instead of facing the shame!

Hey Rosie…I hate people who are named Rosie…reminds me of the dyke Rosie O’Donald. It would have taken that tiger a week to eat that fat pig! You sound like you weigh about 400lbs yourself and a total loser at life and totally intraverted during your high school years and never had a boy friend. You should be out on a walk in a city zoo somewhere eating Wasabi Peas and looking for Captian Kangaroo. If I’m wrong I apologize…it’s just my first impression by your comments. Have you ever been rolled in flower? Oops! There I go again…you’re probably a nice little blond with monster lungs and here I am cracking on you…I’m very sorry. I’m just killing time leaving funny blogs because I have no patients today so this is one way of passing time. Hope everyone has a happy new year…well, only if you’re not a faggot!

John in Montana, maybe you should find some way of “passing the time” for which you have a modicum of aptitude. You may be a funny little troll but you are not “funny”.

Adam I saw you very early this morning. I am amazed at the press conference I saw at the zoo, why on earth would they not have cameras on the tiger?

It was Bush’s fault

Never mind that they might have been taunting it, “how the hell did it get out?” is what we should be asking!!

Somehow I don’t think this video had a happy ending…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjOg9JxXwWw

This tiger is awesome, it doesn’t give a tiny rats ass that the guy is sitting on top of an ELEPHANT! I just wants to eat him.

When is society going to learn that WILD ANIMALS were not put on this earth for a SHOWCASE? I feel for the families but I feel more for the WILD ANIMALS that are brought to ZOO’s for show, and then are shot to death because they kill a human. HELLO AMERICA….GET A !@#$&^% CLUE!!

Wow , Adam lots of strong opinions,…….
1.the taunting I tend to believe sence reported by the police……..
2. my prayers to the woman killed by the pit bulls with no cages or taunting?
3. have never been there but from what i saw on tv it looks like the cat got into the tree and jumped to the wall and then walked on out over the wall?

None of this would have happened or will continue to happen if we would just respect the wild and leave the WILD ANILMALS in their NATURAL HABITAT…..Does anyone follow or are you just too freaking stupid? Let me guess….as long as the Zoo Keepers keep everything under control this will never happen again….LMAO…..IT WILL HAPPEN, AGAIN….and AGAIN….and AGAIN…AGAIN. Hey, I have a thought…..let’s return ALL the Zoo animals to where they belong, and then we don’t have any one to blame. Anyone with me here?

To Zaden:

Your sense of right and wrong is obviously skewed and twisted. I’ve seen more than my fair share of death in my fifty years and I assure you that it is not FUN as you describe it. The problem with you and your ilk is that you’ve never experienced true horror before. Once you do, it will change your worldview forever–if you survive it.

JJ…Modicum? Hmmm? Seems to me I’m comunicating with another homo. Look at the last 3 letters in modicum…you guys just can’t avoid using that word in a sentence huh! LMAO I guess the ol’ saying is true, in your world it really is breakfast for champians.

Tina Kearns…you’re right on target! No zoo’s, no circus’s, no nada with animals. The shows on discovery about animals is all that’s needed. Locking them in cages is the most retarded thing we can do. My grandmother used to lock us kids up in a pantry/broom closet for days and believe you me that sucks. Especially when all there was to eat was pinto beans and after 2 days of 4 kids eating pinto beans, that closet was neither fit for man nor beast…talk about horrifying! Ol’ Ron Dewitt ain’t got a clue what horrifying means. If you’ve never experienced having all the hair burned off your head, face and nostrels caused by a lit match in a closet full of methan gas, you haven’t lived through horror!

SteveL…obviously your an abortion that lived! LMAO

Hey Adam
CNN just said a shoe was found in the moat and you said you were told it was a shoeprint. Can you confirm which one it was ?

Once again in response to Ron DeWitt you say that I have never experienced true horror before eh? I guess maybe your right because as a vet of the first gulf war where I was literally a front line troop assigned to clear lanes through the minefields of southern Kuwaitt for the task force (Task Force Ripper if you must know) I was too busy worrying about dying to feel horror. So much for your inaccurate assesment of ME. Nice try though. My sense of right and wrong is just fine thank you very much. It was wrong for them to taunt the tiger and it’s a tragedy that both the tiger and one of the “idiot” taunters has now perished as a result of their actions. But hey nothing can be done about that now can it? Notice I don’t retaliate by attacking your character nor did I attack you earlier. I simply asked you a question about your logic in labeling this tiger a “malevolent beast” and then proceded to have a little fun with. And in your 5 decades here on this planet you respond by inaccurate assumptions about me and attack my character. Brilliant come back. A really loud and resounding golf clap is in order for your wonderful retort. Have a nice day. I’m going to go eat a box of Tony The Tiger corn flakes.

I will bet, the parents of the dead guy will sue the Zoo!, it doesn’t matter who fault is!.
Too bad the guy is dead, but I feel sorry for the tiger too.. it was a victim. I hope the guys at the hospital learned from this experience. No excuses.

If humans are determined to exert their power and possession over the earth’s creatures, then humans have to pay the price. I mourn the tiger. Humans have killed too many of its kind. Humans are not more valuable than tigers, whether or not we think we grieve more than they do, or have souls, or better emotions.

Read Elizabeth Marshall Thomas’s “Tribe of Tiger: Cats and Their Culture” for stories of how the big cats and humans lived cooperatively in Africa for millennia. Then came the big white game hunters . . .

John in Montana.

I take it back. You ARE funny, but only in your inability to spell.

I agree with John, stupid to mess with something so much higher on the food chain. AND if the boys were taunting that big cat, and they also let it out…. well, the out come was bound to be bad….. Did she have any cubs?

I’m told thru a verifiable source @ the Zoo that 2 of the boys did assist the Cat in getting over the moat and the wall by using 2 8×4 pieces of plywood and a 16 ft piece if 2×6. They were feeding the tiger pieces of fried bologna (a south alabama delight) and pieces of chili cheese dogs. The one young man, that was a foreigner, attempted to put an Indian Elephant Saddle on the tiger…. hence the trouble started. The one that was killed kept shooting a BB gun at the big cat, obviously pissing her off.

I feel so bad for all involved, and the tiger also. I love animals and If the tiger was let out intentionally that would be such a major shame. also I didn’t understand why she wasn’t darted instead of killed. there are so few tigers left and now there is one less. If they say there wasn’t time to dart and tranquilize her, it should be thought about for future.
If she was taunted that would make it so horrible also.
and of course the family of the person that was, killed I can’t imagine the pain they are in.
I grieve for the whole thing. I cried …
sincerely doloceans@yahoo.com

after reading some of the comments I was saddened by things like
so and so can’t spell(not important) Tigers don’t like gays ( a cruel thing to say). also I heard and believe it that the biggest killer of all is Man.
I also feel animals shouldn’t be caged or in zoo’s unless big enough. and Sanctuary’s are terrific because so many abused negleted animals
need to be cared for.
whoever wrote this could have been prevented, the whole thing was right. the boys didn’t deserve what they got and neither did the tiger.
Wild animals are just that. but wild animals don’t need to starved
tortured, etc. and I have seen plenty of that.
so hopefully much will be learned from all of this.
Peggy Williams