Last
week in Oregon, Renee Radziwon-Chapman, 36, the head keeper was killed by a
captive cougar at a big-cat sanctuary.
The AP reports that Since
1990, more than 20 people have been killed by captive big wild cats at sanctuaries,
zoos and private residences, more than 200 people have been mauled and 200-plus
wild cats have escaped, according to one of the nation's largest wild cat
sanctuaries.
Experts
say that because sanctuaries are largely unregulated and anyone can open one,
there are no uniform safety protocols. And over-confidence or human error can
lead to tragic consequences even among the most experienced of caretakers.
"It's
a risky business when you're dealing with dangerous wild animals. You can't
leave any room for error," said Vernon Weir, director of the Nevada-based
American Sanctuary Association which certifies sanctuaries
 |
| Authorities guard the entrance to Cat Haven |
The
cause of all the deaths is all the trade in large cats, whether for pets or as
trophy animals. Tiger cubs are cute.
Full size tigers are not. Neither
are cougars. They may be beautiful, but
they are wild animals with huge teeth and claws that are not meant to be in
tiny cages, and I believe, largely pissed off about it.
The
fatal mistakes, experts say, usually happen due to human nature.
"There
is a certain psychology at work when you work with these animals day in, day
out," said Weir of the American Sanctuary Association. "You begin to
feel comfortable around them. But they're still wild animals, you don't know
what can set them off, and the results can be tragic."
What
sets them off is being hemmed into a little cage or even into a small area and
fed through a cage every day. You’d be
upset too. I don’t think something sets
them off. They probably just have enough
one day, or one day see an opportunity and take it.
The
experts do agree that the way to stop the deaths of the handlers at sanctuaries
is to stop the trade in the animals themselves.
There is proposed national legislation that would prohibit the private possession
and breeding of big cats. I’m sort of at
a loss to understand how this couldn’t be the law anyway. Two years ago in Zanesville, Ohio, a private
individual, Terry Thompson, who owned a private wild animal farm shot himself after releasing fifty of the animals into the countryside.
His
neighbors weren’t happy. This all begs the
question, how did an individual get wolves, bears, cougars, leopards and lions,
and it was all legal. The last thing
anyone needs is to have a tiger next door.
At that point, whoever’s near has a good chance of becoming cat food.
Story
and photo credit: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Attacks-deaths-rampant-at-wild-cat-sanctuaries-4982835.php?cmpid=usworldhcat
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