But You Eat Chicken, Right?

I just saw this story about Tatiana, an endangered Siberian Tiger that escaped her enclosure at the San Francisco zoo. She killed one young man, mauled two more and was then shot to death by police.

This story is tragic on so many levels.Here is a young guy who probably thought it would be fun to check out some animals at the zoo. Most people go to the zoo simply because they like to see the animals.So he and his friends went on Christmas day, and tragically, he was killed. The other two men were injured, but according to news reports, are going to be fine.

What about Tatiana? An endangered tiger, kept in captivity for her entire life, is shot to death. An unnatural life ends with an unnatural death. Terrible. I have been to zoos, and have always enjoy seeing the animals. Still, I have to wonder after something like this happens… Are zoos really as concerned with the welfare of the animals they keep as much as they are with entertainment, tourism and profit?

“This is a tragic event for San Francisco,” said Lt Ken Smith, a fire department spokesman. “We pride ourselves in our zoo, and we pride ourselves in tourists coming and looking at our city.”

I have no doubt that there are some zoos that exist to nurture animals and place conservation at the top of the priority list. I hear the Bronx zoo is excellent in that respect. However, I would also argue that these zoos are few, and the conservation rhetoric is just that - lip service.

It is tragic that this young man met such a horrific, violent death, but Tatiana’s death was just as horrific and violent. This is a wild animal that had been kept in captivity her entire life, never allowed to run, never allowed to hunt, never allowed to be a tiger - killed for following her instincts. Granted, the police had to do something. The point is, she never should have been there in the first place. Now she and this young man are both dead.

As I said, temporary rehabilitation and conservation is one thing, but keeping these animals in captivity for human entertainment is just wrong. The deaths of this young man and Tatiana never should have happened.

So what do you think, are zoos cruel unless they are used solely for temporary rehab and conservation?

On edit: this was a 17 year old boy who was killed.