The tiger death

The death of Dalu Mncube after mauling by a white tiger is sad and tragic, but I also wonder if it was preventable:

Mr Mncube, the righthand-man to Zion’s “Lion Man” Craig Busch, was killed by a male white tiger while cleaning an enclosure with another keeper at the sanctuary near Whangarei, made famous by a television show.

I am somewhat shocked they routinely clean enclosures with the animals in there. I thought they would secure them in one section as they clean.

The tiger is believed to have been 260kg Abu, one of four white tigers at the park, who also attacked keeper Demetri Price in February.

During that attack, Mr Mncube plunged his fingers into Abu’s mouth, then used a fire extinguisher to force the animal to release Mr Price.

So the tiger had previously attacked a keeper, and yet they still did not secure him during cleaning? That sounds almost reckless.

The tiger, one of only 120 white tigers in the world, has been put down and the park has been closed while investigations are under way.

I’m not sure why the tiger was put down? A tiger is not a domestic dog. Tigers attack and kill people – that is their nature. That is why we keep them away from humans. So why is the tiger killed for being a tiger?

Condolences go to family and friends of the deceased.