Tiger injures man at Calgary Zoo
Last Updated: Monday, October 5, 2009 8:35 PM MT
A man is in hospital with serious injuries after sneaking into the Calgary Zoo overnight, scaling two fences and being injured by a tiger.
Two men, both aged 27, jumped a 2.4-metre-high barbed wire fence at about 1 a.m. Monday to enter the zoo. (wild guess here: upstanding, responsible young men with good jobs don't usually roam about at all hours on a Sunday night).
One of the men then scaled the outer perimeter safety fence around the tiger enclosure, which is just over a metre high. He didn't enter the tiger exhibit, but approached the inside fence where a two-year-old male Siberian tiger was roaming, zoo officials said Monday.
The tiger, named Vitali, may have hooked the man with a claw and pulled an arm inside the fence, said a zoo veterinarian. The second man, who came to his aid, was also hurt.
The men knew a security guard who worked at the zoo and called her on her cellphone for help. Security personnel took the men to a zoo office where they were both given emergency first aid until medical services arrived. The seriously hurt man was then taken to the Foothills hospital. (it sounds like the one guy will lose his arm)
Motive unknown
Calgary police are investigating and may lay breaking and entering or trespassing charges against the men. (Gee, ya think???) Police are unsure of the motive and don't know if alcohol was involved, said acting Staff Sgt. Rick Halford. (Huh? Who do they got investigating this, Mr Magoo???)
"There's no indication that the two offenders were involved in anything else other than just being silly, I suppose," he said.
Grahame Newton, the zoo's director of corporate services, said the second fence, which the men didn't scale, is designed to keep the tigers inside their enclosure. It's 4.5 metres high, with a large overhang and an electric component. (Typical CBC reporting, the very first paragraph stated that the guys scaled both fences).
"Certainly we will be reviewing it to see whether there is anything that can be done. But in this case here, I think it just simply appears to be a case of two individuals intent on breaching the security and they did it. Unfortunately it resulted it some very serious injuries."
Tiger to remain on exhibit
The tiger, who wasn't hurt, will remain on exhibit, said zoo curator Tim Sinclair-Smith. "Vitali has certainly done nothing wrong. It's his natural behaviour," he said. "He will go on display as he always has."
Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier defended the zoo on Monday, saying it has a good record of taking care of both animals and visitors.
"You can't foresee absolutely every circumstance. Who could ever predict that somebody would … want to get warm and cuddly with a live animal? Just common sense should tell you that is just something you just don't do," he said. (Gotta side with Bronco on that).
"If you want to pet live animals, go to Butterfield Acres," Bronconnier added, referring to a local petting farm.
What IDIOTS. (this is the general consensus of 99.9% of the comments ... the one dissenting voice came to the defence of his injured friend; seemed to think that people are being too harsh. Not too many thumbs-up for that comment.)
Famous last Trailer Park Boys words: "I'd give my right arm to be able to pet a tiger!"
A flight instructor once gave me this piece of advice: "When you're contemplating doing something risky, don't ask yourself 'Is this likely to kill me?'. Ask yourself 'How stupid will I look in the accident report?'." (Words to live by).
I can't imagine what was going through their minds...I mean it doesn't get much less intelligent than this folks. My god...maybe they can hook these guys up with the lady who wanted to hug a polar bear! Wait...no....imagine the kids! (this from a poster calling him/herself 'SeymourButtz' ... hahaha!)
Please people,don't be too quick to judge these young fellows. A similar thing happened to me in Calgary. I encountered a cougar at 1 a.m.,alcohol was involved. The next morning I had to chew my own arm off. (HAHAHA!!! I laughed at this one for a good 10 minutes)
In BC, if you ski out of bounds and do something stupid, you can be billed for the Seach and Rescue costs associated with risking the lives of the rescuers to get the stupid person to safety. (this is in reference to a Quebec couple who knowingly skied out of bounds, got lost, wife died and in a rather asinine display of irresponsibility, husband sues everyone and their dog ... but back to the tiger and the tools) Same should apply here. You're dumb enough to get drunk or think it's "cool" to get up close and personal with a tiger, then they should be on the hook for the hospital costs and any costs incurred by the zoo. I agree that the headline should be changed to accurately reflect what accurately occurred.
If this moron tries to sue the zoo, I hope the zoo takes it before Judge Judy, she'll sort this dummy out. The Plaintiff will have to swear an oath with his left hand though, I'm just sayin.
Just a couple quick points. This story was about little other than sheer stupidity, and the bizarre few comments that invoke politics are clearly from those people that really need to get out more. The ZOO's responsibility is to take all reasonable precautions against ANY action that could be foreseen by any reasonable person -- this wasn't the actions of a either a reasonable person or someone acting as such. As for the "I don't want MY taxes to pay for their care" -- guess what? I might not either, but the alternative of not ensuring people with a a guarantee to health care (irrespective of whether or was brought upon by stupidity or not) is a consequence that few Canadians have had the unfortune to experience.Like "free speech" being guaranteed not just for the people that You agree with, guaranteed health care also applies to people that You don't think necessarily deserve it -- the alternative is incredibly disturbing, and all You have to do is to look at the bizarre debate going on in the US to see the 'slippery slope' that NOT insuring everyone will go ... (this comment hits the nail on the head; a lot of comments call for the injured men to foot the bill for their medical costs but, unfortunately, our system protects all equally, even the ignoramuses among us.)
BobbyClobber wrote: Just imagine the story the tiger has to tell his buddies, "No, Im tellin' the truth, it was a snack on two legs, about sooooo tall and it just walked in here by itself...."
Isincal wrote: @ BobbyClobber 2009/10/05 at 3:59 PM ETI'll be snickering over that one till I fall asleep tonight!
BobbyClobber (again): Tiger, at the local watering hole tonight, "No Tony, its more cruchy then chewy, but tasted like it was marinated in beer..."
Another thought just crossed my mind.It mentions these two were taken to the Foothills Hospital which is about 3 times further than the Peter Lougheed.The Foothills has recently built a billion dollar research center.Could this be a modern Canadian 'Area 51' were alien subjects escaped and were looking to seek shelter where no man has gone before? (conspiracy theory? or is there something the Government doesn't want you to know?! Things that make you go hmmmmmm?)
This has PETA written all over it. (... I was thinkin' more like, oh I dunno, Budweiser??? And lots of it!)
Maybe they were tweakin on shrooms and thought they were playing with Tony the Tiger? They're ggggrrrreeeeaaaattttt!!! (K, well, coulda been the 'shrooms too).
I think a Haiku is in order. Anyone else care to add one?
dumbass goes into cage
why does the tiger maul me
arms are very sore
I wonder what led up to this....some drinking...NO a LOT of drinking.....maybe a party......maybe some party games......1:03am wishing you had said "TRUTH" (True Dat. Sometimes it is just better to go with truth).
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2 comments:
All those comments about the morons who broke in, and not a word about the trauma suffered by the poor Tiger.......not to mention indigestion!
Cheers Dil!
Me thinks the only trauma to the tiger was that the fence was in his way! The tiger was just doing what tigers do. Then again, the drunk morons were doing what drunk morons do.
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