Lion Attack & Next Week


I don’t always blog about the many animal attacks that cross my desk but this particular one illustrates my urging people NOT to take photos with wild cats and to use care when in close proximity. This teacher from England was attacked by a juvenile lion who was probably playing–as lions and other big cats do.

So, my question is why are these guys allowing interactions with humans if the cats are supposed to be released into the wild?

There is a guy that does some rehab and minimizes all contact. You don’t want habituated animals in the wild because that creates additional problems.

Anyway, there was also a wild tiger attack in the Sundarbans about a week ago. Tigers had been active in the area and a tiger trap was even placed in attempts to catch it.

The area is known for tiger problems and I remember reading Jim Corbett’s accounts from the early 1900s–he specialized in hunting down maneaters.

In the meantime, a group contacted me regarding the San Francisco Zoo’s tiger saga. It seems they had arranged a meeting with the city and other officials. People mean well but if you are not familiar with captive wildlife it is always best to have an expert on your staff because it is more complex than meets the eye.

Okay, enough about that…I see the end of my project nearing–which means I will be posting more frequently again. The new site should be launched next week if all goes as planned. Hopefully we won’t encounter too many glitches!

San Francisco Tiger Grotto Reopens After Rennovation


Above is the picture with the improvements to the San Francisco Zoo Tiger Grotto which just reopened. You can view the original San Francisco Zoo press release in PDF here and view the report on the tiger grotto reopening two months after the tiger attack from Mercury News as well.