Dog Encounters Bigger Cat Than He Expected

jmcquown wrote:
wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in message

If you're referring to the kids who got into the tiger enclosure
in a zoo, San Francisco? recently... I'd have to say yes, it's
pretty easy to get into a cat enclosure at a zoo. If you're a
limber kid you can certainly climb 18 feet (although they have no
real idea how high that wall was, which amazes me).

Oh, they knew exactly how high that wall was. They simply lied about
it.
Not only to inspectors, over the years, but also to police, after the
tragic incident occurred on Dec. 25.

Joyce

PS - A few years ago, Animal Planet had a segment about Cat Country
at the Memphis Zoo. I'd love to see it sometime!

Dog incident notwithstanding, the Memphis zoo is a nice place to
visit


I'm a bit confused about this. Surely if the dog can get in the tigers can
get out.

Tweed

jmcquown wrote:


If you're referring to the kids who got into the tiger enclosure in a zoo,
San Francisco? recently... I'd have to say yes, it's pretty easy to get into
a cat enclosure at a zoo. If you're a limber kid you can certainly climb 18
feet (although they have no real idea how high that wall was, which amazes
me). I used to climb rocks and trees when I was a kid, some 30 feet up
sometimes. I wouldn't have been stupid enough to tease tigers and then go
into the enclosure, though. There's debate about whether or not there was
water in the moat at the San Francisco zoo. Frankly, I think tigers like to
bathe so that wouldn't be a deterrant... just IMO.

If the program on Animal Planet that showed tiger cubs
playing in a river were authentic, yes, they do! (Even
though most cats are supposed to hate water, I've had some
with whom a spray bottle of water was no deterrent for
anything they wanted to do - I could spray till they were
dripping wet, and it had no effect!)

Christine K. wrote:

Will in New Haven kirjoitti:


I find it worrisome that the dog could get _into_ the enclosure. Is
there a chance the tiger could get out as happened recently? BTW, I
don't have time to read the article at work but did they really say
that the Sumatran (a small variety of tiger) weighed that much?


There was no mention of the weight of the tiger in that article. And now
that you mentioned it, I had to check, and found that Sumatran tigers
weigh abt 200-300 pounds.

Still big enough to be a bit of a shock to a dog accustomed
to "normal" size cats!

Christina Websell wrote:
jmcquown wrote:
wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in message

If you're referring to the kids who got into the tiger enclosure
in a zoo, San Francisco? recently... I'd have to say yes, it's
pretty easy to get into a cat enclosure at a zoo. If you're a
limber kid you can certainly climb 18 feet (although they have no
real idea how high that wall was, which amazes me).

Oh, they knew exactly how high that wall was. They simply lied about
it.
Not only to inspectors, over the years, but also to police, after
the tragic incident occurred on Dec. 25.

Joyce

PS - A few years ago, Animal Planet had a segment about Cat Country
at the Memphis Zoo. I'd love to see it sometime!

Dog incident notwithstanding, the Memphis zoo is a nice place to
visit


I'm a bit confused about this. Surely if the dog can get in the
tigers can get out.

Tweed

Nope. The dog jumped down into a deep pit and swam across a moat.

Jill

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:
Christine K. wrote:

Will in New Haven kirjoitti:


I find it worrisome that the dog could get _into_ the enclosure. Is
there a chance the tiger could get out as happened recently? BTW, I
don't have time to read the article at work but did they really say
that the Sumatran (a small variety of tiger) weighed that much?


There was no mention of the weight of the tiger in that article. And
now that you mentioned it, I had to check, and found that Sumatran
tigers weigh abt 200-300 pounds.

Still big enough to be a bit of a shock to a dog accustomed
to "normal" size cats!

I'm pretty sure the dog was saying to itself, "Oh crap!"

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:
...
Even
though most cats are supposed to hate water, I've had some
with whom a spray bottle of water was no deterrent for
anything they wanted to do - I could spray till they were
dripping wet, and it had no effect!

I've heard that it's not the water that has the deterrent effect
(I've been owned by cats that loved the rain), it's the hissing
sound made by the spray bottle. Imitating the sound using your
own mouth should have the same effect - especially if the cat
believes you to be the dominant male / female.

--
MatSav

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote:

jmcquown wrote:

There's debate about whether or not there was water in the
moat at the San Francisco zoo. Frankly, I think tigers like to
bathe so that wouldn't be a deterrant... just IMO.

If the program on Animal Planet that showed tiger cubs
playing in a river were authentic, yes, they do! (Even
though most cats are supposed to hate water [snip]

Tigers are well-known for their love of water and being good swimmers.
It's unusual within the cat family, but there you have it. It's just
another application of the Law of Cat Uniqueness, with which all of us
here are quite familiar: For any statement one could make about "all
cats", there exists at least one cat who disproves that statement.
I guess this also applies to cat *species*.

(Oh, there's also the fishing cat. I don't know if they swim, but if
their main source of food is fish, I would imagine they get into the
water a fair amount!)

Joyce

--
To send email to this address, remove the triple-X from my user name.

On Jan 9, 5:06 pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
jmcquown wrote:
wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in message

If you're referring to the kids who got into the tiger enclosure
in a zoo, San Francisco? recently... I'd have to say yes, it's
pretty easy to get into a cat enclosure at a zoo. If you're a
limber kid you can certainly climb 18 feet (although they have no
real idea how high that wall was, which amazes me).

Oh, they knew exactly how high that wall was. They simply lied about
it.
Not only to inspectors, over the years, but also to police, after the
tragic incident occurred on Dec. 25.

Joyce

PS - A few years ago, Animal Planet had a segment about Cat Country
at the Memphis Zoo. I'd love to see it sometime!

Dog incident notwithstanding, the Memphis zoo is a nice place to
visit

I'm a bit confused about this. Surely if the dog can get in the tigers can
get out.

Tweed


That's what I thought at first but the dog got in by jumping _down_
and then swimming. A tiger could swim across the moat but couldn't
jump up from the water.

I hope the silly dog is ok. And the tiger too, although I doubt the
tiger was hurt. Maybe upset at losing prey.

Will in New Haven

--

"I don't mind hidden depths but I insist that there be a surface."
-- James Nicoll

wrote:
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote:

jmcquown wrote:

There's debate about whether or not there was water in the
moat at the San Francisco zoo. Frankly, I think tigers like to
bathe so that wouldn't be a deterrant... just IMO.

If the program on Animal Planet that showed tiger cubs
playing in a river were authentic, yes, they do! (Even
though most cats are supposed to hate water [snip]

Tigers are well-known for their love of water and being good swimmers.
It's unusual within the cat family, but there you have it. It's just
another application of the Law of Cat Uniqueness, with which all of us
here are quite familiar: For any statement one could make about "all
cats", there exists at least one cat who disproves that statement.
I guess this also applies to cat *species*.

(Oh, there's also the fishing cat. I don't know if they swim, but if
their main source of food is fish, I would imagine they get into the
water a fair amount!)

Joyce

I think almost all cats are capable of swimming it's just most choose not
too.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

Adrian wrote:
I think almost all cats are capable of swimming it's just most choose not
too.

Hehehe. I just had a flashback of Caliban paddling through the sea with
his head determinedly held high above the water. It is indelibly etched
on my mind.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.