Letters to the Editor
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Unjust punishment
I don't know if the assholes who were taunting this animal deserved to die, but I do know the tiger didn't. It's unbelievable that she would be murdered just because she reacted naturally, the way ANY big cat would to being pestered like that.
What is with this automatic tendency to kill any animal that tries to defend itself or its territory? Is this how we would react if a human did so? I think not. There's constant controversy over the death penalty for humans, no matter how heinous the crime. Yet animals who do not go out of their way to hurt anyone, who are simply reacting to the actions of encroachment of humans (much like a human homeowner using his shotgun on a burglar) are summarily executed. It's just assumed that if the animal has killed once, why, of course she'll do it again!
Was there even an attempt to observe Tatiana and see if she showed any signs of animosity towards humans after the attack? Was there any effort to put her in a better environment and see if there was any further trouble? No? You mean the zoo decided to blame her and not themselves for dragging their feet on the subject of building SAFE enclosures for dangerous animals? Imagine that!
We can't leave this planet soon enough.