Tiger Shot, Killed Near Reagan Library

[kskiska]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Authorities shot and killed a male tiger Wednesday that had been roaming the hills near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

The 425-pound cat was shot several hundred yards from soccer and baseball fields at the edge of a housing development, said Lorna Bernard, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Game.

``It's unfortunate that we had to kill it,'' Bernard said. ``It's even more unfortunate that the person who owned it didn't come forward and alert us immediately. We might have been able to capture it.''

Trackers had to shoot to kill because a tranquilizer would have taken five to 10 minutes to bring down the animal, Bernard said. They were concerned the animal might attack them or bolt onto a nearby highway. The animal was killed near Simi Valley, about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4822055,00.html

[Be Brave]

1. Couldn't wait five to ten minutes, eh? n/t

[Fridays Child]

2. BS. On Animal Planet, I saw a trank dart drop a 900 pound polar bear...

...in about 15 seconds. :mad:

[NickB79]

23. I wonder how many departments keep tranq drugs that powerful

I'd imagine a tranqualizer sufficient to knock out a large cat in a matter of seconds is not something that most departments keep on hand. What police and animal control officers expect to take on a fully-grown tiger? Most likely all they had to use were drugs designed for large dogs one-quarter the size of a tiger. If what they had available would take 5-10 minutes to take effect, and there was a risk of the animal running into traffic and causing accidents before it went down, then shooting it was their only option. If the animal did run, and caused a traffic pile-up that killed or injured drivers, the department would have been liable for a massive lawsuit, and would have failed in it's duty to protect the people of the city.

Honestly, it surprises me to see more anger here against the people trying to protect innocent people than the asshole who raised and lost the animal in the first place. He/she is the one ultimately responsible for that animal's death, and deserves to be punished SEVERELY for the loss of this creature.

[rocktivity]

25. But they had the TIME to obtain the right kind of tranquilizers

They'd been tracking the tiger for a couple of days. If they felt beforehand that the drugs they had on hand wouldn't be strong enough, they must have had some idea of what they were dealing with. But you're definitely right about the "asshole," and I hope he or she is caught.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Southsideirish]

3. How very appropriate!

[Cooley Hurd]

4. If you're gonna keep a tiger as a pet...

...you'd damn well better keep it from getting loose. Sheesh!

[Lorien]

5. Very sad

this is why individuals shouldn't own such animals. A friend of mine owns meerkats, and the federal laws on owning meerkats are stricter than those for owning big cats like tigers. I wonder if this poor animal's owner had his facilities inspected twice a year?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. Many years ago

I worked in a Mountain Lion rescue facility. We had (at that time) 9 rescued animals that we kept. They were mostly peoples pets who had gotten too large, too expensive to feed or grew up to be the wild animal they were intended to be. It would break my heart daily when I would see these confused creatures who were torn between wanting my attention and wanting their freedom.

These beautiful creatures are not pets, they are not domesticated. They deserve so much more than a life in a rescue facility. The sad thing is they were the lucky ones, most were euthanized when they became "too much to handle".

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. So, some fucker wanted a tiger head over their fireplace.

Ignorant pricks.

[roguevalley]

7. beyond appalling. you can buy a tiger cub for 200 bucks on the

internet. honest to god. I hope that shooter has nightmares forever.

[Coventina]

8. I'm so mad. I just don't know what to say.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

22. too many people get a thrill out of killing-it's how they feel powerful

look at the Arab (Muslim) genocide this country is now centered on.
Animals, people who are different, doesn't matter.
There are some who just love to kill.

I know better to enlighten those who don't understand but I'd rather just shoot them.
(sarcasm)

[lebkuchen]

9. Life in America is a jungle anyway

A tiger is just a built in excuse to use America's weapons of choice on the real thing.

[rocktivity]

11. Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh are the most likely suspects.

But seriously, folks, though I'm no expert in the field, the10-minute tranquilizer story sounds fishy. Couldn't MORE than one tranquilizer dart have been used?

:headbang:
rocknation

[Pert_UK]

21. Errrrr..........what?

"I've had trouble sleeping and these sleeping tablets will take 30 minutes to work.........Perhaps if I take 100 times the normal dose I'll be asleep in less than half a second!"

Yes. Permanently.

Having said that, I agree with your indignation on this.

[98geoduck]

12. Does cheney and renquist have a hunting ground nearby?

maybe it escaped from their cage.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

16. No Way Would They Dare Show Their Faces in California! nt

[thecrow]

13. So who gets to keep the skin as a trophy?

nuff said

[VegasWolf]

14. There aren't any golf courses there are there? n/t

[jdots]

15. If i end up lost in Simi Valley please shoot me

a little Simi Valley Valley joke there ( very little) this sucks ,anyone who knew animals could have saved the tiger with a net and a few happy meals,but no Barny had a live round in his gun.

[Colorado Blue]

17. They have shot THOUSANDS of cougars in California,

simply for having come near humans. It SUCKS. There is no reason for that, they attack so very rarely it isn't even on the statistical map. Really they are very shy. They're all over Colorado and of course one must use SOME brains but I can't see simply shooting them on site.

People just don't GET IT - we are in THEIR territory.

OK, end of rant. I just can't stand the War On Animals we seem to be engaged in. Bears, wolves, "hunting" from helicopters - oh -

[aquart]

18. Now shoot the POS who owned it.

Make it a canned hunt.

[Andromeda]

19. Oh, Gawd!

That is just so sad I can't even express it in words.

The owners of that poor animal should have alerted Fish and Game. They might have been able to save it. Damn people shouldn't have a wild animal as a pet because this is the kind of thing that happens.

Animals always pay for human stupidity.

Why in hell couldn't they try to shoot it with a tranquilizer dart and kill it as a last resort?

I just don't understand.

[leftofthedial]

20. in a related story . . .

a giant pussy is thought to be living in or near the White House in Washington DC.

[bklyncowgirl]

24. There was a case like that in New Jersey a few years ago

A woman owned a private tiger sanctuary. By most accounts her facilities were pretty substandard especially as far as security went.

One of her tigers got loose and started wandering around Jackson New Jersey. The authorities enlisted the vet from Great Adventure's Safari Park and big cat handlers from Popcorn Park Zoo but unfortunately the cops got to the tiger before the vet did.

I haven't kept up on the case. Last I heard the "Tiger Lady" was still in court trying to keep the rest of her tigers. This was a case of a well meaning individual who loved tigers, wanted to save them, but sadly didn't have the ability to do the job right.

[Occulus]

26. They couldn't use a radio dart?

and this part:

"It's even more unfortunate that the person who owned it didn't come forward and alert us immediately. We might have been able to capture it."

Uh- don't I remember this being reported from a newspaper in this area a couple, three days ago, maybe last week? Weren't tracks found?

Bueller?