Never Underestimate The Predictability of Stupidity

A few weeks back I discussed the “price of our actions” in regard to the terrible incident at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day where one person was killed by a captive Siberian Tiger. But today police released a report that said one of the other two victims of the tiger was intoxicated and agitating the beast while it was in its enclosure. After reading the report, three thoughts came to mind: One, these creatures are a bit smarter than we like to think they are; two, never underestimate the predictability of stupidity; three, more safeguards are needed to protect imbeciles from captive predators. Isn’t a zoo a place where we can enjoy these animals in a controlled environment for both the animal and us?

As one can tell, I am a bit “fired up” over this event and for good reason. No, I do not belong to PITA, as I believe their ideology and goals are farfetched and extreme. But on the other hand, I unlike some people have a healthy respect for nature’s creatures and the power that some of them possess. This leads into my first thought on the matter: our underestimation of many creature’s intelligence. If the report is true and at least one person was taunting the tiger, isn’t it a bit surprising that the “beast” explicitly remembered who these people were? Then it methodically “hunted” them down. How do we react when we are taunted? Typically we try to silence the individuals through tact or force. Maybe the tiger was reacting just as it should- in its self defense. It obviously felt threatened and it dealt with the situation in the only way it knew how: fight or flight. It obviously chose to fight. Keep that in mind next time you are on a trip in the great outdoors.

Secondly, one must never underestimate the predictability of stupidity. The first mind boggling question is who goes to a zoo drunk? It is a fact that alcohol impairs judgment and a variety of other cognitive faculties, so why would one choose to go to a zoo to taunt the animals? If you have visited a zoo, there is no doubt that we have all tapped on the glass or the bars of an enclosure to get an animal’s attention. But it would appear as if at least one individual went a bit overboard and chose the wrong animal. They do not call them “big cats” for nothing; any cat classified in that category is more than able to rip a human apart without thinking about it. The prey they game in the wild is far bigger and stronger than us, hence they have to be bigger and stronger than their prey in order to survive. I don’t know about you, but I am not about to go one on one with a cat that was at least 300+ pounds of pure muscle.

Finally, it should be the responsibility of zoos to keep their guests safe. As mentioned previously, I am not a fan of zoos, but they aren’t going away anytime soon, so it would be logical to properly enclose the creatures in proper facilities. In theory, a vast majority of creatures found in zoos shouldn’t have to be shielded from everyone by giant iron bars. But when individuals intentionally tease these creatures, well they ruin it for all of us. Granted, the facilities zoos use is dependent upon that particular zoo’s ideology and relationship with their animals. Never the less, there should be a standard that all zoos should have to abide by. Some places even walk their big cats around while guests are present in order to give the guests the full experience. I don’t see anything wrong with that, just as long as morons do not tease them.