Siberian Tiger
Originally uploaded by pixelstate.
I know, I promised more positive posts, but that's in 2008.
I am NOT an animals-first type person. I think PETA does some fine work, and I think PETA is full of crack pot lunatics with waaaay too much time on their hands. If I find out that baby kittens were tortured to find the cure for cancer, I will feel bad. Right up until someone I love gets Cancer. (Sorry, Gretty)
But I took my O's to the zoo when Little O was Tiny Toddling O , and I swore I'd not go back. The animals were magnificent, but looked unhappy. The people were horrific, and I almost got into fights over people teasing the chimpanzees. Those primates are probably smarter than you and the fact that they are stuck over there does NOT give you the right to hoot and leer at them. They are demonstrating a great deal more dignity that you, you fat redneck hick. Nice mullet.
I suspect the kid who died in San Francisco was probably the best of the three, but I don't know how much credit I can give him beyond that. The brothers sound like fucking scum of the earth, and if that shoe print up on the wall matches, I hope the zoo sues THEM for the cost of a Siberian Tiger and lost business. The fact that they are being uncooperative with the authorities just confirms to me that they are more that a little at fault, and now a tiger following it's natural instincts, as well as a poor stupid boy, are dead. Those fuck-up brothers are going to sue the zoo out of existence. The fact that the dead boy's dad called looking for him on CHRISTMAS DAY, and he was dodging calls, and the brothers bold faced lied to his dad, says to me that the kid was not the snow white angel his family makes him out to be. Still doesn't mean he should be dead.
But neither should that tiger.
This has been a post from Jen, speaking out of my ass too soon on a news story that we've still only heard half of. I may regret it, much like my post on the HPV shill--who turned out to be totally legit, and is my secret vice to read. But I say again I think those boys had some role in taunting that tiger.
6 comments:
That's so sad for everyone involved. I hope the police are able to figure out what happened.
I agree 100%. I hate zoos and feel nothing but sadness for everyone in them, people and animal alike.
The thing that worries me the most is the fact that the tiger could get out at all. What if it didn't take that much provocation for the tiger to go over the wall? What if it had been my kid sitting there on the other side of the wall with a pinwheel and the tiger thought that looks like a fun toy.... and decided to go for a closer look? We can debate whether or not the tiger was provoked all day but the real issue is that the darned thing could get out.
The zoo is taking people's money to go look at these wild animals and the public assumes it's safe. Clearly it wasn't.
I see your point SQT, and it's scary that zoos are out there eyeballin' it and never manage to actually MEASURE this stuff.
But I suspect there truly was a provocation, or tigers would have been jumping over for snacks for the last 20 years. Those guys were up to no good.
Oh I agree, those boys were total a**holes by all accounts.
But the story keeps getting more and more disturbing. I live in Northern Ca, so I might be hearing more about the story than I even want to. Now they're saying that the zoo didn't even respond to the boys when they initially reported the tiger was loose. In fact, it was the police who ended up shooting the cat, not zoo officials--who were already present at the zoo.
I don't want to excuse the boys' behavior in any way. The cat didn't deserve to be provoked or even killed. But I know teenage boys are stupid and do stupid things. (sadly, I remember my teenage years all to clearly) I still think, bottom line, the zoo had the responsibility to keep bystanders and the cat safe.
Gotta agree. Well said.
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