White Tiger Kills Keeper

Peg · Post by **Peg** » Wed May 27, 2009 9:28 am

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A rare white tiger mauled its keeper to death in front of horrified tourists at a New Zealand wildlife park on Wednesday, then was killed after it refused to release the body.

The dead animal keeper, Dalu Mncube, was the second person attacked this year by one of the park's white tigers. Mncube himself helped rescue the employee mauled in February.

Mncube, a South African national, was attacked after he and a colleague entered the cage at Zion Wildlife Park on New Zealand's North Island to clean it, police spokeswoman Sarah Kennett said.

Mncube died before help could reach him, with serious injuries to his abdomen and lower legs.

"Despite the best efforts of the second keeper and a rapid response from other wildlife park staff, the tiger would not let the park worker go," Kennett said in a statement.

The animal - one of only 120 white tigers in the world - was killed, police inspector Paul Dimmery told National Radio. There was "nothing to indicate why it attacked - but the fact is they're wild animals," Dimmery added.

The park's manager, Glen Holland, who was not there at the time, said Mncube was an experienced keeper and "fantastic with the cats."

Staff were called to the scene to help distressed staff and visitors, including eight foreign tourists who saw the attack, Kennett told The Associated Press. Their nationalities were not known.

The employee attacked in February, Demetri Price, required surgery after he was mauled. Price, who no longer works at the park, told TVOne's "Close Up" program Wednesday that Mncube "got the tiger off me" after he was bitten in the knee and "had a great ability with animals."

The park, located near the northern city of Whangarei, has 42 rare lions and tigers - four of which are white tigers - in large wire-cage enclosures that include trees and grassy areas.

Last year, a Scottish teenager was bitten by a white lion after she put her hands through a hole in the fence.

Link

Peg · Post by **Peg** » Wed May 27, 2009 9:29 am

I have to wonder, when you work with these animals every day, do they forget they are wild or does their hearts pound every time they go in?

panzermk2 · Post by **panzermk2** » Wed May 27, 2009 9:31 am

You just can't take the wild out of wild animals. It's a shame that such an animal had to be killed.

But the Tiger is an Apex predictor and doing what Tigers do.

kazalala · Post by **kazalala** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:37 am

i went to a safari type of park here ,, where you can drive round in your car and the animals are roaming free,,, well free in a certain amount of park area,,, but they can approach your car etc,,, in certain zones we could have the windows open and even feed the animals ,, moose, giraffes, etc.. other zones we were not allowed to have any windows or sunroof open,, and there were lions,, while lions they were amazing, wolves, other more dangerous animals,,, the only animals that were caged off so that they couldnt possibly come near your car were the tigers,, normal , and white. That told me they must be the most dangerous.

Victoria · Post by **Victoria** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:41 am

Yet again a human made a mistake but the animal has paid the ultimate price for doing what is natural.

You cannot blame the tiger this is a case of human error.

My sympathy is with the tiger

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:42 am

Victoria;1195159 wrote: Yet again a human made a mistake but the animal has paid the ultimate price for doing what is natural.

You cannot blame the tiger this is a case of human error.

My sympathy is with the tiger

mine to.

Post by **Sunshine** » Wed May 27, 2009 10:47 am

The tiger did what comes naturally to his breed. Yes, they are dangerous and should be contained in some way before anyone enteres their enclosure. It is the cats territory and the cat will defend it from any intruders.

qsducks · Post by **qsducks** » Wed May 27, 2009 11:17 am

Sunshine;1195170 wrote: The tiger did what comes naturally to his breed. Yes, they are dangerous and should be contained in some way before anyone enteres their enclosure. It is the cats territory and the cat will defend it from any intruders.

I agree...they should have made sure the tiger was in its cage.

hoppy · Post by **hoppy** » Wed May 27, 2009 11:47 am

While growing up in rural America in the '40's, we all knew two things.

1. Never trust any animal. Expecially wild animals.

2. Don't make pets out of food animals, like cows, pigs etc.

Generations of children were and are being brainwashed by Bambi type films and nut cases like Timothy Treadwell. People are getting hurt and killed because any natural common sense about animals and wildlife has been erased out of their brains by a steady diet of confusing movies, books and documentaries showing animals as being cuddly, playful and almost human like.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Thu May 28, 2009 6:44 am

Tiger did what Tiger's do sorry the man made a huge mistake and paid with his life. Not the animals fault ashame it had to be put down.

I'm always amazed and people who think they can take the wild out of animals. Not going to happen ever. We hear horror stories all the time about these attacks.

Like the idiot who thought he was a grizzly Bear, and go eaten by one. Humans we just never learn.

We should just stick with FIDO the Dog, and FIFI the Cat and even they can revert back to their wild side every now and then.

Post by **Sunshine** » Thu May 28, 2009 11:30 am

CARLA;1195566 wrote: Tiger did what Tiger's do sorry the man made a huge mistake and paid with his life. Not the animals fault ashame it had to be put down.

I'm always amazed and people who think they can take the wild out of animals. Not going to happen ever. We hear horror stories all the time about these attacks.

Like the idiot who thought he was a grizzly Bear, and go eaten by one. Humans we just never learn.

We should just stick with FIDO the Dog, and FIFI the Cat and even they can revert back to their wild side every now and then.

Very true but even Fido and FiFi can have their off days. If you respect an animal for what they are and what they can do and not force them to be something other than what they are, they can turn on you.

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Thu May 28, 2009 12:20 pm

hoppy;1195252 wrote: Never trust any animal. Expecially wild animals.

So true! A few years ago I was touring through Yellowstone & Glacier with a friend. We saw a coyote, numerous elk, had 13 buffalo visit the backyard of our cabin for breakfast and a number of tourists were taunting the animals. The whole trip my friend kept saying "I hope I see a bear." We saw one at a distance. In Glacier I bought a book about human encounters with bears. I let her read it and it scared her to death. She didn't care if she saw any more bears.

I lived in Wyoming where wild animals are frequently seen close up. You develop a respect and caution for their fierce wildness.

In this story I would have thought that the keeper would have been afraid and very cautious after seeing what happened to the one he helped save.

panzermk2 · Post by **panzermk2** » Thu May 28, 2009 3:03 pm

As a life long outdoors man and hunter I learned along time ago to always respect wild animals and mother nature. People mostly city type's raised on Go Diego go, don't realize everything in mother nature is out to get you. From the smallest bug (bot flies, leaches, tics) to the middle sized (opossum, yotes, crows, turkey buzzards) to largest meat eaters like Bear Black and Brown. Heck after the meats gone even the squirrels and small bird feast on your bones since the are a great source of calcium. Also why you don't find old bones in the wild very often.

Every thing is waiting for you to make that one mistake and then it's dinner time for all the critters in the woods.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Thu May 28, 2009 3:07 pm

When will they learn?

The tiger is more rapidly in decreasing numbers and we've still got idiots using them for their own gain.

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Thu May 28, 2009 7:32 pm

CARLA;1195566 wrote: Tiger did what Tiger's do sorry the man made a huge mistake and paid with his life. Not the animals fault ashame it had to be put down.

I'm always amazed and people who think they can take the wild out of animals. Not going to happen ever. We hear horror stories all the time about these attacks.

Like the idiot who thought he was a grizzly Bear, and go eaten by one. Humans we just never learn.

We should just stick with FIDO the Dog, and FIFI the Cat and even they can revert back to their wild side every now and then.

years ago, my girlfriend Pat worked at the Toronto Zoo......she started out cleaning cages.....and worked up to feeding the tigers, and oh god Carla, she just loved it...it was a dream come true for her....but...one day, she stuck her arm through the cage a little to much...........

the tiger, bit her arm off.........Pat was in shock for two months and wouldn't see anyone...

.....luckily the tiger was not killed.....as it was not her fault.

people just don't realize!:-5:-5

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:01 pm

Very sad indeed we just become complacent and think they won't hurt us and we unfortunately find out the hard way they are wild animals.

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:31 pm

CARLA;1195983 wrote: Very sad indeed we just become complacent and think they won't hurt us and we unfortunately find out the hard way they are wild animals.

It was weird that day I met Qadesh........I had no fear whatsoever of her harming me, as my love for tigers overtook that fear.

and yes, I was lucky.....but perhaps we shouldn't let our love take our fear away.

..I was frightened yes......because she was so big!

panzermk2 · Post by **panzermk2** » Fri May 29, 2009 10:45 am

Tiger are the biggest are the baddest. Tigers even go after, into the water, Crocs. Pull them out and eat them.