Como the Tiger is dead, probably for no reason.

Saturday, July 28, 2001

Como the Tiger is dead, probably for no reason. The rare animal that attacked a young girl most likely doesn’t have rabies, but according to law, it had to be destroyed for tests.

The judges who heard the case and appeals made the right call. The law was upheld and the system worked. Those who don’t like it can pressure the legislature to change it.

That doesn’t take away from the sadness of the situation. It’s unfortunate the tiger had to die, but it’s hard to argue that the wishes of the girls family are less important. We ought to be humane in our treatment of animals, but it’s also not humane to subject a girl to rabies testing that has the potential for side effects, just to save an animal – no matter how beautiful it is.

If any blame must be placed, it is upon the questionable circumstances that led up to the attack. The animal cannot be blamed for obeying its instinct. How the tiger escaped, and why the visitors were in a normally restricted area, is what should be questioned. If the attack had been prevented in the first place, the tiger and its victim would both have been spared.