Dead tiger bigger victim than dead man?

[Turbo]

These clips are from Fox's "The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet," January 3, 2008:

Dave Salmoni on The Morning Show

A tiger that escaped from the San Franscisco Zoo on Christmas Day, 2007. The tiger killed one person and injured two others before being shot to death by police.

Dave Salmoni of Animal Planet, a "large predator expert," feels sorry for the zoo keepers who "lost basically a family member," and says that "obviously, the biggest victim... is the tiger who got killed."

Co-host Juliet interrupted with mild sarcasm toward Salmoni , "The person that got killed was a pretty big victim, too."

Up until she said that, Salmoni didn't even acknowledge that a person was killed, and had only mentioned the people who had been mauled in passing between his points about the suffering zoo keepers and the tiger being the "biggest victim." He cares more about the dead tiger and its zoo-keeper "family" than about the young man who was killed or his actual family. What a jerk!

 

[TomO]

I remember seeing this story on the news.....if I remember correctly it seemed pretty clear that the one who got killed and a few others who were injured were responsible for both enraging the animal, and it's escape......am I wrong about that? :think:

 

[koban]

[edit] The Christmas day attack
On December 25, 2007, Tatiana escaped from her open-air enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo and attacked three visitors shortly after closing time.[7][8] After escaping from the tiger grotto, Tatiana killed one patron (Carlos Sousa Jr., aged 17) and injured two others (Amritpal "Paul" and Kulbir Dhaliwal, brothers aged 19 and 23). The brothers fled to the zoo cafe approximately 300 yards (270 m) away and, according to initial reports, left a trail of blood that the tiger followed. Paul Dhaliwal, 19, began screaming outside the locked Terrace cafe, prompting an employee to call 9-1-1 at 5:07 pm.[9]

Initial police response was delayed momentarily, in part because cafe personnel that called the police voiced suspicions that perhaps the allegations of an animal attack were being made by a mentally unstable person. When the police and fire crews arrived at the zoo, they were further delayed by zoo security guards who were enforcing a lockdown of the zoo so that the tiger would not escape, and also because medical personnel refused to enter until they were assured of their own safety. Carlos Sousa was found near the tiger grotto, allegedly by a zoo employee, who remained with him until rescue crews arrived.[10] The scene was chaotic, and up to 13 minutes after the initial 9-1-1 call, police officers and fire department paramedics reached Carlos Sousa's body, and found his throat slashed or punctured.[9] When four police officers and zoo shooting team member[10] reached the tiger, they found it with one of the brothers, Kulbir Dhaliwal, but did not shoot Tatiana, according to the SF police chief, as they could not be assured of "contain(ing) their fire)" (not injuring human life). After distraction, the tiger turned towards the officers, and was shot and killed. [1] The Dhaliwal brothers received deep bites and claw wounds on their heads, necks, arms, and hands, but their injuries were not life-threatening, and they were released from the hospital on December 29, 2007.[6][11] The three victims were visiting the zoo together, with a fourth unidentified person. Jennifer Miller and her family allegedly saw the group of young men taunting lions less than an hour before the attack.[12]


[edit] The aftermath
It was not immediately apparent how Tatiana had escaped, but police say that Tatiana may have "leaped" or "climbed" the walls of her enclosure.[13] Police have begun a criminal investigation to determine whether one of the victims "climbed over a waist-high fence and then dangled a leg or other body part over the edge of a moat that kept the big cat away from the public".[1]

The director of the zoo says it is likely that Tatiana was provoked. He said that: "Somebody created a situation that really agitated her and gave her some sort of a method to break out. There is no possible way the cat could have made it out of there in a single leap. I would surmise that there was help. A couple of feet dangling over the edge could possibly have done it."[1] Sources to the San Francisco Chronicle said that pinecones and sticks were found which might have been thrown at Tatiana, and which could not have landed there naturally.[1]

According to early news sources, the Dhaliwal brothers had slingshots on them at the time. An empty vodka bottle was also found in a car used by Amritpal Dhaliwal, 19, and his brother, Kulbir, 23, on the day of the mauling, according to the source. However, according to later reports, the police denied that slingshot were found in the car or the zoo[14]. It has been claimed that the discoveries could be an indication that the brothers may have taunted the 350-pound Siberian tiger before it leapt from its grotto.[15]

Certainly have sympathy for the family of Sousa. But if he and his idiot friends were responsible for inciting the attack, I agree with Salmoni.

 

[The Barbarian]

There is no comparison between the life of a human and some other animal. But if people were taunting the tiger, then I don't have much sympathy for them.

 

[ebenz47037]

There's been more than just one incident with animals either escaping or trying to escape at that zoo. Sign On San Diego:

5:28 p.m. January 11, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO – Less than three weeks after an escaped tiger killed a teenager at the San Francisco Zoo, two new incidents have surfaced that are bringing fresh attention to the facility's handling of its exhibits.

Zoo officials said Friday that a nearly 100-pound snow leopard managed to rip a small opening in its wire mesh cage – which was inside a bigger secured enclosure – Thursday afternoon and got part of its head and paw out of the gash.


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A week earlier, zoo employees used darts to goad a cantankerous polar bear into its night enclosure, officials said. The next day the zoo said it was raising the height of the wall of the polar bear exhibit.

Zoo spokesman Sam Singer said the incidents never posed a safety threat to visitors. He called the leopard incident a “minor breach,” and “the polar bear was not trying to escape or exit the enclosure,” he said.

Disclosure of the incidents comes less than three weeks after a 250-pound tiger escaped from Dhaliwal pen and mauled three zoo visitors. Zoo officials have said it likely climbed over a wall surrounding its enclosure that measured 12½ feet – 4 feet lower than nationally recommended standards – after it was provoked.

There's more at the above site. But, I lived in California for almost 20 years, and I'd never heard of so many incidents in such a short time at any zoo. I'm wondering if San Francisco's getting ready to have another earthquake. I know that animals have a "sixth sense" about things like that.

 

[koban]

I doubt it's the sort of thing the zoo would publicize....

 

[zoo22]

I doubt it's the sort of thing the zoo would publicize....

Wha?? Why are you dragging me into this? What'd I do?

lain:

 

[cattyfan]

The investigation in the days following the tiger incident turned up at least one reliable witness at the zoo who witnessed the young men taunting the lions and the tigers, and shooting at them with sling shots. The men were old enough to know better. They also found an empty vodka bottle in the (underage) men's car. So they played a large part in their own death/injury.

The zoo, too, is responsible, as the enclosure wall was 4 feet lower than is mandated for safety with an animal of that size and nature.

The tiger was defending itself and acting in a normal manner for a wild animal. And whereas I know animals and humans are different, the animal this time clearly got the short end of the deal.

 

[yeshuafreak76]

This is what happens when you decide to domesticate one of Mother Nature's fiercest predators, and keep them locked up in a cage. It's a tragic story, but one that needs to be told. Same with the idiot up in Alaska that though grizzlies was all cute and cuddly.

 

[cattyfan]

This is what happens when you decide to domesticate one of Mother Nature's fiercest predators, and keep them locked up in a cage. It's a tragic story, but one that needs to be told. Same with the idiot up in Alaska that though grizzlies was all cute and cuddly.

Yup. I looked at that as Grizzlies 1 - Stupid Man 0

 

[TomO]

There is no comparison between the life of a human and some other animal. But if people were taunting the tiger, then I don't have much sympathy for them.

:nono: Me neither.....I do feel bad for their families, but that's it.

 

[TomO]

The tiger was defending itself and acting in a normal manner for a wild animal. And whereas I know animals and humans are different, the animal this time clearly got the short end of the deal.

Exactly. lain:

 

[koban]

Wha?? Why are you dragging me into this? What'd I do?

lain:

:doh: No, the NewZoo!

 

[koban]

Yup. I looked at that as Grizzlies 1 - Stupid Man 0

Darwinism in action! :darwinsm:

 

[noguru]

These clips are from Fox's "The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet," January 3, 2008:

Dave Salmoni on The Morning Show

A tiger that escaped from the San Franscisco Zoo on Christmas Day, 2007. The tiger killed one person and injured two others before being shot to death by police.

Dave Salmoni of Animal Planet, a "large predator expert," feels sorry for the zoo keepers who "lost basically a family member," and says that "obviously, the biggest victim... is the tiger who got killed."

Co-host Juliet interrupted with mild sarcasm toward Salmoni , "The person that got killed was a pretty big victim, too."

Up until she said that, Salmoni didn't even acknowledge that a person was killed, and had only mentioned the people who had been mauled in passing between his points about the suffering zoo keepers and the tiger being the "biggest victim." He cares more about the dead tiger and its zoo-keeper "family" than about the young man who was killed or his actual family. What a jerk!

How thoroughly did you research this before posting?

 

[Nathon Detroit]

:mock: Dave Salmoni

 

[fool]

They should have let that Tiger eat those morons and then put him back on display as the moron eating Tiger, better than yer regular Tiger.

 

[noguru]

They should have let that Tiger eat those morons and then put him back on display as the moron eating Tiger, better than yer regular Tiger.

No doubt. I use to work with a guy who was about as bright as these three. He ended up dead at 18. Shot twice by a police officer who was an expert marksman. The idiot was stupid enough to fire at the officers car. I'd say this is along the same lines as that. Taunting a tiger is similar to firing at a police officer who is an excellent marksman.

 

[fool]

No doubt. I use to work with a guy who was about as bright as these three. He ended up dead at 18. Shot twice by a police officer who was an expert marksman. The idiot was stupid enough to fire at the officers car. I'd say this is along the same lines as that. Taunting a tiger is similar to firing at a police officer who is an excellent marksman.

You don't tug on SuperMan's cape.
You dooooooon't (edit to replace piss with spit)Spit(/edit to replace piss with spit) into the wind.
You don't pull... the mask.... off the ole Lone Ranger..
And ya don't slingshot pinecones at the Tiger in the zoo...

Ya
Dooty
yo
Do
Do
Dooty
Ya

 

[cattyfan]

You don't tug on SuperMan's cape.
You dooooooon't piss into the wind.
You don't pull... the mask.... off the ole Lone Ranger..
And ya don't slingshot pinecones at the Tiger in the zoo...

Ya
Dooty
yo
Do
Do
Dooty
Ya

Uhhh...I believe that's "spit into the wind."