Originally posted by WolfChan
What happened was this (Getting this info from another forum BTW): Monticore was noticed to be limping slightly. Roy told him to "sit", and when he did not sit Roy tried to gently push him into a sitting position. When bitten, Roy thumped the tier on the nose to try and startle him into letting go, but the microphone in his hand made a "boom" noise, and the tiger did as he should be expected to and attacked the source of the noise. After that, he dragged Roy offstage.

Montecore is not going to be put down. (Huzzah!)
Of course they aren't going to "put down" an endangered species... The magicians do know these animals. This tiger has been performing with them a long time (six years I believe... the "first time" thing was a theatrical gimmick they do every show...), and the guys just didn't recognize he was having an off day. (Magicians, especially ones like these, would never have an animal preform on an "off day." They have other animals trained to take their place...) So, all in all, it is an unfortunate, frightning, and sad story. Not unexpected but not predictable.

The only message I can see in this is that wild animals ARE wild. Even those that are captively bred are still wild. People should always be aware of that. (And I believe Roy is. Even with precautions, things can happen. He dropped the chain lead they use when commanding the tigers too... Another accident that added to the problem.)

The truly upsetting and frightening thing is NOT this incident but the fact that completely ignorant people can aquire many "exotic" animals--including big cats--just on a whim. It is cruel to the animals, dangerous to the people. I hope those people will read the story, get scared, and NEVER get an exotic animal. Roy's tigers are treated well, and he knows their insticts. Why dwell on HIM rather than an inner city drug dealer who gives his girlfriend a pet lion cub (declawed and neutered no less)? Those are the horrific stories. Those are the people who I pray to God were at that show and are scared to death of ever getting NEAR a big cat...

Just my two and a half cents.