Missouri sees second tiger attack in 2 days

Three tigers attacked a worker at an exotic animal park in southwestern Missouri on Monday - the state's second tiger attack in as many days.

[C Thomas]

I have visited Branson West exotic animal place. These animals need to be in a zoo or somewhere where they are cared for better than where they are at. They are wild and for some reason people can't get that through their heads. Not just saftey for people but for the wild animals too.

[Harry Dangler]

Two tiger attacks in Missouri? What the hell has got into you people? I thought Florida was crazy.

[Trisha Gutierrez]

C Thomas wrote:

I have visited Branson West exotic animal place. These animals need to be in a zoo or somewhere where they are cared for better than where they are at. They are wild and for some reason people can't get that through their heads. Not just saftey for people but for the wild animals too.

The zoo is full of people who care deeply for the animals and work hard daily to maintain saftey for both animals and employees. It is an INTERACTIVE zoo, not a place that you go to walk miles and hope to see an animal on occassion, each employee there love the animals and thats why this place has grown in size over the past 10 years.

[d carlson]

My family & I were at the zoo when the attack happened. It was extremelly horrifying. Just before we came around the corner employees were running past us. We asked what was going on, but at that time none of them seemed to know. We thought maybe an animal had escaped. Just as we reached the corner we heard, "call 911 GD it!" We rounded the corner & saw a limp body in the tiger enclosure. One tiger was near the head of the boy another pulling at his leg. As we didn't know what was going on previously, my husband had been snapping pictures. That was the picture he captured. When he heard me screaming , "oh my God, oh my God!" he realized what was going on and put the camera down in disbelief. A brave employee jumped into the enclosure with a club, smaller than a baseball bat. He began swatting at all three tigers to get them away from the boy. I truly believe he saved that boys life. Another employee ran up with a fire extinguisher at that time & sprayed at the tigers. at that time they were ablt to lift the boy out of the enclosure. It is a miricle the boy survived, his neck & head were covered in blood. It took a very long time for the ambulance to arrive, the boy was without medical attention for quite awhile. Even when the ambulance arrived it took longer for the helicopter to arrive. All total over an hour before that boy was removed from the facility.

I realize this is an interactive zoo, but why did a sixteen year old employee have the capability to get into the tiger enclosure? Was he given keys? Although the employees were all very nice & did seem to care about the animals, I believe some of the enclosures were too small & inadiquate for some of the animals. I don't belive it was the tigers fault, they were just being what they were, tigers. Our thoughts & prayers are with the boy though, I truly hope he makes a full recovery.

[Ex-Employee]

as far as the branson west attack I have news. The boy was an employee.He always was allowed in there cage as were others,me for one,very shortly after starting work there and NO there was no training befor hand. So the reports from the owner Breck and other staff members you see on the news IS a lie when they say the boy had no reason to be in there and he broke protocall. There never was nor has been protocall. If there was then why was another employee bit by the lion on the head.And why did the wolves exscape.Why did one animal have such a bag urinary tract infection it had to have surgery and rebuild his malehood.Why do ALL employees have keys and access to ALL habitats no matter what is in them? Why do the venimouse snake cages get accidentally left with the lock on it but not locked.Why was the new lion brought in during the day during buisness hours while guests were on property and taken off the semi that brought him and taken to his habitat,with guests all over the property?? Is that protocal? Any of those things? Is that looking out for ANYONES safety? No of course not. I loved working there,I loved being with the animals,I loved working outside and I thought I was doing the right thing by helpping care for them. But all I was doing was endagering my life. And I would do it again with proper training, with a proper facility that cared for us,the guest and the animals not just money. I feel the cats should be saved not killed. They need to send all the animals to proper facilities, close the zoo and hold them responsible for the accident, medical bills, after care treatment and whatever else falls in the legal aspect. Do not punish the animals they are punished enough with under sized habitats to say the least and the boy has certainly be punished enough along with his real family. His supposed family at the zoo needs to open there eyes as well and see it would be for the best of the animals and the public to close it down.How many accidents are we going to turn our heads to? Does someone have to die befor action is taken?I sure hope not and by all means I hope it isnt this young boy.I have faith in the investigators and in sherrif hill that they will do the full investigation and see the truth through the owner, breck,and his employees smoke screen and damage control.

[Ex-Employee]

I am not from tyler tx I am from branson mo and worked there at the zoo.

[Shutejute]

My family and I were at this same facility a few days after the tiger attack. We asked about the injured boy and were told the "lie" about the tiger saving the boy's life. We knew it was a lie. Anyway...we observed many infractions and dangerous situations while there. For one, as we entered the snake area, a worker was just inside the door where we had to walk close by with a snake around his neck. My daughter in law had to ask him to move away so that we could walk by safely. Then we saw one of the young employees in the cage with a medium sized cat...teasing it...waving his hand at it, as if to try to provoke it.
We went around to see the tigers and one of the Bengals lunged at my brother. He rushed the fence and bounced off it right at my brother, without any provocation. Another one was trying to go over the fence at the back of the pen. I personally do not feel that these large cats are in proper and safe containment. Also, they seem to be restless and irritable and ready to attack.
We left feeling like we were in danger. This facility needs to be inspected by proper authorities. I believe customers are in danger.
Louisiana Visitor

[Boomer]

Its kinda like the gay magician Roy Horn, The tiger loved him, the tiger was protecting him, yadda yadda yadda. Whatever. If people were supposed to have 800lb beasts as "pets" they would come in a condensed version, oh wait...they already do, they're called kitty cats!!!!!!!

[seventies chick]

Boomer wrote:

Its kinda like the gay magician Roy Horn, The tiger loved him, the tiger was protecting him, yadda yadda yadda. Whatever. If people were supposed to have 800lb beasts as "pets" they would come in a condensed version, oh wait...they already do, they're called kitty cats!!!!!!!

I agree they need to keep the wild animals out in the wild. I dont care who you are, if you own a wild animal it will eventually turn on you. Thats why they are called wild...Get a dog cat or a bird for a pet. Leave the wild ones alone.

[truth gets out]

Both of these attacks were the fault of the owners of the tigers. They are wild animals and cannot be tamed. Real zoos would not allow this and even with their attempts at keeping the public safe it doesn't always work. Both of these places are more interested in breeding animals and money to be made than caring for them. There are already too many tigers yet Predator World boasts of their cubs and Wesa is still breeding tigers. It takes over 40,000 years to domesticate an animal yet look what some dogs have done to people when pushed too far.

As quoted from an article in the San Francisco paper "In the eyes of the law, keeping a caged tiger is like hauling dynamite or storing uranium-- an activity so dangerous that even the most careful proprietor is responsible for any injuries to bystanders" (1/13/08)

[NeedNewLawsInMO]

C Thomas wrote:

I have visited Branson West exotic animal place. These animals need to be in a zoo or somewhere where they are cared for better than where they are at. They are wild and for some reason people can't get that through their heads. Not just saftey for people but for the wild animals too.

If you check out KOLR10 news in Springfield, MO you can see fotage of the place in Branson West with a teen-age boy in the cage with the 7 month old tigers and he is wearing an mp3 player with the ear phones in his ears and a beany hat over that with his back to two of the tigers. One cub grabs his sleeve in play and its strength nearly pulls him over. Remember he had in ear phones with music playing and his back to the other two. If a youngster is taught that being unsafe is okay is it any stretch that a teen would to enter an exhibit with three tigers and end up mauled. Also the exhibit the boy with the earphones was in had ONE entrance/exit in or out of the exhibit. It opened right onto the public sidewalk. The door was merely a door like you'd have on your bedroom in yur house and the lock, the ONLY lock, was the button on the door knob. Prior to the cubs being in that unsafe exhibit they had housed the adult tigress in that exhibit. Why does no one see this as unsafe for the guests.

[NeedNewLawsInMO]

seventies chick wrote:

<quoted text>I agree they need to keep the wild animals out in the wild. I dont care who you are, if you own a wild animal it will eventually turn on you. Thats why they are called wild...Get a dog cat or a bird for a pet. Leave the wild ones alone.

During the next legislative session, I urge everyone to call their senators, govenors, and State Reps to ask for new laws, with closed up loopholes. It is time. Two maulings in two days is enough.

[NeedNewLawsInMO]

Shutejute wrote:

My family and I were at this same facility a few days after the tiger attack. We asked about the injured boy and were told the "lie" about the tiger saving the boy's life. We knew it was a lie. Anyway...we observed many infractions and dangerous situations while there. For one, as we entered the snake area, a worker was just inside the door where we had to walk close by with a snake around his neck. My daughter in law had to ask him to move away so that we could walk by safely. Then we saw one of the young employees in the cage with a medium sized cat...teasing it...waving his hand at it, as if to try to provoke it.
We went around to see the tigers and one of the Bengals lunged at my brother. He rushed the fence and bounced off it right at my brother, without any provocation. Another one was trying to go over the fence at the back of the pen. I personally do not feel that these large cats are in proper and safe containment. Also, they seem to be restless and irritable and ready to attack.
We left feeling like we were in danger. This facility needs to be inspected by proper authorities. I believe customers are in danger.
Louisiana Visitor

Would you be willing to contact me? I would really appreciate hearing more of your story!!!!! I documented unsafe things there in 2007, no one listened then, maybe they will now if enough of us combine our voices and exeriences.

[NeedNewLawsInMO]

Ex-Employee wrote:

I am not from tyler tx I am from branson mo and worked there at the zoo.

Would you be willing to contact me? I would love to compile a clear view of this facility with more people's experiences than just my own. The reason is to demand the shut down or this facility because I firmly believe the facilty is unsafe. At the very least force them to become more safe.

[NeedNewLawsInMO]

d carlson wrote:

My family & I were at the zoo when the attack happened. It was extremelly horrifying. Just before we came around the corner employees were running past us. We asked what was going on, but at that time none of them seemed to know. We thought maybe an animal had escaped. Just as we reached the corner we heard, "call 911 GD it!" We rounded the corner & saw a limp body in the tiger enclosure. One tiger was near the head of the boy another pulling at his leg. As we didn't know what was going on previously, my husband had been snapping pictures. That was the picture he captured. When he heard me screaming , "oh my God, oh my God!" he realized what was going on and put the camera down in disbelief. A brave employee jumped into the enclosure with a club, smaller than a baseball bat. He began swatting at all three tigers to get them away from the boy. I truly believe he saved that boys life. Another employee ran up with a fire extinguisher at that time & sprayed at the tigers. at that time they were ablt to lift the boy out of the enclosure. It is a miricle the boy survived, his neck & head were covered in blood. It took a very long time for the ambulance to arrive, the boy was without medical attention for quite awhile. Even when the ambulance arrived it took longer for the helicopter to arrive. All total over an hour before that boy was removed from the facility.
I realize this is an interactive zoo, but why did a sixteen year old employee have the capability to get into the tiger enclosure? Was he given keys? Although the employees were all very nice & did seem to care about the animals, I believe some of the enclosures were too small & inadiquate for some of the animals. I don't belive it was the tigers fault, they were just being what they were, tigers. Our thoughts & prayers are with the boy though, I truly hope he makes a full recovery.

Would you be willing to talk to me about this? I filmed that facility in 2007 and reported it as usafe then. No one would listen. I am trying to gather enough people this time to hope people will listen.

[NeedNewLawsInMO]

I urge everyone to visit www.CatLaws.com and input your own zip code and find out what laws your state / county does or does not have regarding carnivores. I did, and I was unpleasantly surprised.

[d carlson]

NeedNewLawsInMO wrote:

<quoted text>Would you be willing to talk to me about this? I filmed that facility in 2007 and reported it as usafe then. No one would listen. I am trying to gather enough people this time to hope people will listen.

I can tell you what I saw & my opinion regarding the zoo. I honestly believe that the tigers would have no problem getting out of the enclosures they were in. My brother in law kept saying he didn't feel safe all the way though the zoo, that was before witnessing the attack on that young boy.

I remember commenting on the alligator enclosure, it was barely longer than the alligator. An employee took a huge albino snake out of the cage so that my boys & husband could have their picture taken with the snake around their necks. The snake smelled terribly bad. My brother in law commented on the cleanliness of many of the enclosures as it seemed to us they were subpar.

I also believe however that had it not been for the quick actions of other employees of that zoo the victim of the attack would definately not have survived. From what I saw, the tigers viewed the boy as wounded prey once he fell.

I am also in agreement with many of the other people responding, that the animals need to be placed elsewhere. Although there are good intentions from the staff, I do not believe this facility to be safe for visitors, staff, or the animals housed there.

[WWJD]

Ex-Employee wrote:

I am not from tyler tx I am from branson mo and worked there at the zoo.

Your ID says Tyler Texas, because that's where your computer is, bud. Makes your testimony a bit questionable. Apologies if I'm wrong to doubt you.

[just a guy]

The ID is inaccurate. I am in Warrenton Mo. but my ID states Wentzville.

[just a guy]

o wait tonight it says O'fallon