I am sure it is not incredibly original to post about this news story, but since this blog is the place where I blow off steam, too bad.
In the face of adversity and stress, people are capable of incredible things. You see the stories of how a father lifted the car off of his spouse/child/friend who was pinned underneath. Or the person who is injured with phenomenal blood loss, yet somehow manages to walk/trek/climb to safety despite medical injuries to the contrary. Does the human body have the physical capabilities to do such a thing? Supposedly not, but it happens. All the time.
You do not poke sticks at a dog through a fence and then feign surprise and anger that the dog scaled that fence and bit your sorry ass. The enclosure for that tiger had been checked, rechecked and had been certified as safe. I think that animal was pushed beyond her limit and nothing was going to get in her way. She did not go on a random attacking spree. She followed them three hundred yards until she found them. That is THREE football fields, people. This was not a random act of violence by a crazed animal. She hunted them down. She didn't go after other visitors, just the little bastards that had injured her.
The major new sources are not reporting any eyewitness statements (surprise surprise), but you can find them all over the web. Those boys threw rocks at that tiger. There are people who saw them do it. There are also witnesses who saw them dangling their body parts over to entice her.
Do I think it is a tragedy that the one boy died? Absolutely. I am sick for his family. Am I upset that the other two boys were mauled and have injuries? Nope. Not. One. Bit. Actions have consequences, and boy oh boy did these two kids ever learn that lesson.
I wish this hadn't happened. I wish that the worst extent of this had been that all three boys had been hurt, but would have been okay. I wish Tatiana had not been killed, either.
My predictions:
I believe that the parents of those kids are going to tell them to shut the fuck up and not admit to having done anything. Claim amnesia, lie outright.
The zoo in going to get in trouble, probably heavily fined. More money that could have gone to animal safety and education.
The dead boy's family will probably sue because hey--That is the American way!
The whole thing pisses me off and makes me ill. Now this is just turning into random verbal vomit, so I will stop now.
Friday, December 28, 2007
My Two Cents On Tatiana
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5 comments:
As much as I hated to admit it, I found myself thinking along these lines just this morning. My husband and I were watching CNN, and they were speculating the bloody shoe found in/near the cage, the shoe print on the barrier, the idea that someone dangled a leg/foot over the barrier and the cat grabbed it. I have NEVER been in any zoo that provided me the abilit to get near enough to an animal that it would grab/attack/kill me . . . to my knowledge. I also know that all wild animals are capable of inflicting injury/death upon humans under the right conditions. I cannot see this cat killing this boy under normal circumstances. I just can't.
I feel for the family, especially so close to the holidays. This shouldn't have happened, and something tells me it could have been avoided. It all just doesn't add up.
I'm waiting for the law suits, for zoos to be forced to close due to lack of funding or have to ship the tigers off to some wildlife refuge because one bad apple spoils the bunch.
I was furious to hear they KILLED the tiger. Why not sedate it with a rifle and tranquilizer dart? Hell, I thought that's what they always did when wild animals escape from zoos or stumble into residential areas from nearby woodlands (i.e., "hello, 911? There's a bear in my front yard. Yes, I'll stay indoors with the door locked, just hurry"). Because it killed someone, we have to kill it? So, it's an eye for an eye when it's man against beast, but when some asshole molests a little girl, we let him keep his dick? Oh, okay, glad that's all cleared up now.
The whole thing makes me sick.
Thanks for finding your way to my blog today. I'm quite enjoying yours.
You know I hadn't heard that the boy who was killed had any part in the taunting of the tiger, but it doesn't surprise me. An animal can only put up with so much. I'm not glad anyone is dead, certainly, but like VW, I'm appalled that we have to kill an animal under these circumstances. People can kill in self-defense. Why not the tiger?
Peace - D
I've been siding with the tiger, assuming the worst about the boys, believing they are to blame. Regarding the shooting of the tiger, I have an acquaitance who is a San Francisco cop (now part of the bicycle team not far from the zoo). His team got the call to head to the zoo because tigers were loose. It was dusk, it was frantic, and no one knew if it had been one tiger. Coming upon a tiger mauling one of the people, I do believe the police had no choice but to shoot it.
I, too, hate that it had to happen. I love zoos for the fact that we can educate ourselves about the frailty of our animal cousins, how they live, mate, and die, and that when good breeding programs are in place (pandas, for example) we can help perpetuate the species.
BUT... when shit like this goes down, it pisses me off because a couple of little shits are going to get away with... well, murder. And the zoos and, to some extent, the aquariums, are going to get slammed for harboring "killer animals!"
Friggin' sensationalism.
Thank you for putting into words what I, and probably a whole lot of other people were thinking. I just discovered your blog and am looking forward to reading more.
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