Tiger handler fatally mauled at Oklahoma preserve

bobcat

bobcat

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Northern Calif
It is described as an accident, but no details have been released yet.
I find it hard to believe the term "accident" would apply here, but I may be wrong.
There’s a long and sobering history of animal handlers who’ve lost their lives or been severely injured by working with the wild creatures they loved and studied. Somehow, I think they know the risks, but just think it won't happen with their animal.
 

That last post didn't come out the way I intended. I think they understand the risks, but that may not be the draw.
 

I watch handlers working with elephants at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. One guy was spraying an elephant with a hose, and when the other guy approached with one of those big push brooms you would use to sweep the garage floor, the elephant raised his trunk up high to expose his front quarters, which then got a good sweeping. The elephant seemed to be luxuriating in the experience. I'd like to do that for an elephant. I'd like to think he liked me, but I wouldn't want an elephant to sit on me.
 
JustDave said:
That last post didn't come out the way I intended. I think they understand the risks, but that may not be the draw.
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IDK Dave, I think you may be correct in many cases. I think of Grizzly Adams, Siegfried and Roy, and Steve Irwin, and others, who could have worked with domestic animals, but chose ones that could do them harm. It's hard to know the real reason, whether it's domination, money, adrenaline seeking, or just love of the wild animals, but humans do seem to have a history of dangerous thrill seeking.
 
JustDave said:
I watch handlers working with elephants at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. One guy was spraying an elephant with a hose, and when the other guy approached with one of those big push brooms you would use to sweep the garage floor, the elephant raised his trunk up high to expose his front quarters, which then got a good sweeping. The elephant seemed to be luxuriating in the experience. I'd like to do that for an elephant. I'd like to think he liked me, but I wouldn't want an elephant to sit on me.
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Yes, I think working with gentle giants like that would be a very joyous experience.
 
I remember seeing Siegfried and Roy in Las Vegas years ago. It was a great show and it was a few years later that Roy was “accidentally” attacked by one of their white tigers. I remember reading that a few causes of the mauling was presented, but no actual cause was determined.
 
911 said:
I remember seeing Siegfried and Roy in Las Vegas years ago. It was a great show and it was a few years later that Roy was “accidentally” attacked by one of their white tigers. I remember reading that a few causes of the mauling was presented, but no actual cause was determined.
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Yes, it's hard to imagine what goes on in the mind of a tiger, or any wild animal for that matter. We may project our thoughts into their mind, but obviously that doesn't always work. I would imagine that the animal mind is quite different than humans.
 
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bobcat said:
Yes, it's hard to imagine what goes on in the mind of a tiger, or any wild animal for that matter. We may project our thoughts into their mind, but obviously that doesn't always work. I would imagine that the animal mind is quite different than humans.
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Way back when I was a senior in high school, I had a school friend that found a baby raccoon and raised it to adult. The animal lived in the house and even slept with him. When I would go to his house, he would walk around with the raccoon on his shoulder.

I didn’t see him at school for a few days, so I drove over to check out what was going on and find out why he wasn’t he school. His mom said he didn’t want to see anyone right now. I asked why and she told me his raccoon was scared of a dog that his uncle brought into the house and scratched his face and neck really bad. It was almost a month before he came back to school and he had scrape marks an scabs all over his face and neck.
 
When I was in India, we stopped in a small village to pick up some bottled water. (*Hint: Never drink the water in India.)
A villager had been out working in a field when a tiger attacked him. Although I didn’t want to look at him, curiosity got the best of me and I knew if I didn’t, I may regret it later. It’s a sight that sticks in your mind.
 
911 said:
I remember seeing Siegfried and Roy in Las Vegas years ago. It was a great show and it was a few years later that Roy was “accidentally” attacked by one of their white tigers. I remember reading that a few causes of the mauling was presented, but no actual cause was determined.
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The cause is, they are wild animals... wild. Humans can imprint, try to befriend, raise from a baby, be 100 percent kind - but they are still wild animals... unpredictable, and dangerous.
 
911 said:
I remember seeing Siegfried and Roy in Las Vegas years ago. It was a great show and it was a few years later that Roy was “accidentally” attacked by one of their white tigers. I remember reading that a few causes of the mauling was presented, but no actual cause was determined.
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I remember this very well.
I read that the white tiger "thought" that Roy was attacked and wanted to bring Roy out of danger by seizing him at his head and tear him away.
At first the audience thought that it was part of the show.
 

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