I'd like about 10 minutes with both of the boys who survived the attack from Tatiana. I know they had to have been bothering that tiger. I have been dealing with animals for a long time. Yes she malled a keeper (who was invading her space) but to leave her enclosure, which was her home, she had to have a good reason.

She was fed regularly, so she was not hungry. She had been at the zoo since 2005 and she was 2 at the time. She was institutionalized so she wouldn't randomly leave her home. So why did she leave.

Zoos are one of the worst things for the animals. The zoos take care of them but the visitors are the ones who harm the animals. There was an alligator at the St. Louis zoo who had been there for over 25 years (just recently died) he had been blind in one eye for years because someone decided to throw a coin in the cage.

Who is to be held responsible. Tatiana already paid her price.

I zipped off to find the story as we get very little American news here - but egad, one dead tiger and the 'story' as to what happens sure leaves a tad to be desired, doesn't it?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/02/tiger.att...ref=mpstoryview

Did find a few other sources but again, confusion ... why was the cage not built to the proper recognised height? Why would the cafe not let the two boys in, obviously screaming for help? Why did the guard not act on their pleas for help for at least 1/2 hour? Why did the zoo officials refuse police entry to the zoo for so long? Was it the 3 boys mentioned that had thrown the objects into the cage - or were others there earlier the ones that taunted the poor beast?

To taunt any animal is despicable.
To build a cage knowingly that is under the specifications for height and an animal can escape from in a public zoo is criminal.

A boy is dead and so is this beautiful creature. Simplistic I guess but 'if only' the cage had been built to prevent the tiger ever being able to escape, no matter how annnoyed this lovely tiger became (for whatever reason, taunting or perhaps an abcessed tooth, etc) both the boy and this incredible animal would still be alive. Shame on the zoo. Sigh.

Well it's starting to look like the "victims" of Tatiana were high and drunk and taunting the Tiger.News Report

Is stupidity a defense?

In our legal system?

I'd say "yes".

Don't see where taunting a wild animal would make the boys innocent by any means. Did one deserve to die? ... I don't think so but all three would have deserved a darn good trouncing!!

But that said, if the zoo wasn't at fault for having too low a containment wall, bet they could have sued the surviving boys for being the reason the lovely animal had to be destroyed?