Wildcat on the loose in Collin County
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nov. 27, 2009, 7:24PM
McKINNEY — North Texas authorities are looking for a wildcat and want the public's help.
The serval is a medium-sized African animal that resembles a cheetah with large ears. It was last seen in the Collin County town of St. Paul.
The cat has been declawed and is not believed to pose a danger. But Collin County officials warn that it is a wild animal by nature and may act aggressively if it feels threatened.
Anyone who spots the cat should call 911 immediately, and not try to capture or restrain it.
The missing serval is approximately 40 pounds, is orange with black spots, and had on a black collar and a red harness.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6742171.html
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Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Tigers killed after mauling zoo worker
Tigers killed after mauling zoo worker
08:52, November 16, 2009
A zoo in Liaoning Province was closed to visitors Saturday as police began investigating Friday's mauling of a zoo worker by two tigers. The attack is attributed to the tigers being starved.
Two Siberian tigers went after Yang Jingwei, 51, an automatic-door operator in the Shenyang Qipanshan Glacier Animal Park, on Friday afternoon when he was cleaning the snow on the staff-only pathway, the local Liaoshen Evening News reported.
A badly injured Yang struggled desperately for nearly 15 minutes before zoo workers dispersed the tigers with a shotgun and by sounding the siren on a vehicle.
However, Yang could not be reached as the tigers kept everyone else at bay until the police came in and fired more than 10 shots to subdue the big cats, which died later.
A profusely bleeding Yang was seriously injured on his head, neck, hands, arms and legs, and flesh had been ripped out from the lower part of his face, according to reports.
"He was brought in a coma caused by excessive blood loss," Dr. Gaoyan at Shenyang Military General Hospital, told the Xinhua News Agency. "His breath and heartbeat could be barely felt."
Yang came to Saturday morning after hours of operations. Doctors said he is still not out of danger from organ damage as a result of intense bleeding.
The zoo was closed to the public until further notice
No one knows how the tigers reached the pathway, which is wire-fenced and 2.8-meters high, or what provoked the attack on Yang.
One suspicion is that the beasts may have been starved over a long time due to a sharp drop in the zoo's revenue (and consequent lack of funds for animal feed), according to the Liaoshen Evening News.
"It is possible that the tigers attacked a human being because they are starved," Wan Dongmei, professor of zoology at Liaoning University, told the Global Times Sunday.
The zoo was founded in 2000 and home to more than 2,000 species of fauna, had 33 Siberian tigers before the incident.
Even before the economic downturn, there was a drop in the number of visitors, leading to heavy loss of revenue, as much as 50 percent in 2006.
The zoo administration, which has a poor record of animal feeding, dealt with the revenue shortfall by sacrificing small animals to save the big ones.
"Ducks and geese that once amused visitors were fed to the big cats that often had to make do with two dead chickens for a meal," according to an animal caregiver quoted in the Shenyang Evening News.
Other big animals, like the elephant, were also starved. Gnawing hunger drove the elephants to smash their heads against the wall to protest the reduced meal portions.
This is not the first time that the zoo has been shut down. On November 1, 2006, financial problems forced the first closure of the zoo. It reopened nine days later after the local government poured in millions of yuan.
This time, the closure is indefinite.
An animal caregiver surnamed Liu at Harbin's Siberian Tiger Park, the largest natural park for wild Siberian tigers in the world, told the Global Times Sunday that expenditure on feeding tigers is a burden to some zoos.
He said a grown tiger eats almost 10 kilograms of meat daily, costing nearly 150 yuan ($22). The cost of keeping a tiger on a full stomach is about 100,000 yuan a year. Whether overfed or starved, tigers are very dangerous, Liu said.
Siberian tigers, among the world's most endangered species, are found mostly in Northeast China and the far east of Russia. In the 1980s, it was listed as a first-class national protected animal of China.
There have been other tiger attacks in recent years. Earlier this year, a Siberian tiger in a wildlife park near Beijing mauled to death a man who climbed into its enclosure mistaking it for a shortcut down from the Great Wall.
In March 2008, a mentally ill man who entered a tiger's cage in a zoo in Heilongjiang Province ended up as its meal for the day.
There was also the strange incident in February 2007 of a 6-year-old girl who was being photographed with a tiger, at a zoo in Yunnan Province, being bitten by the beast.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/6813820.html
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/
08:52, November 16, 2009
A zoo in Liaoning Province was closed to visitors Saturday as police began investigating Friday's mauling of a zoo worker by two tigers. The attack is attributed to the tigers being starved.
Two Siberian tigers went after Yang Jingwei, 51, an automatic-door operator in the Shenyang Qipanshan Glacier Animal Park, on Friday afternoon when he was cleaning the snow on the staff-only pathway, the local Liaoshen Evening News reported.
A badly injured Yang struggled desperately for nearly 15 minutes before zoo workers dispersed the tigers with a shotgun and by sounding the siren on a vehicle.
However, Yang could not be reached as the tigers kept everyone else at bay until the police came in and fired more than 10 shots to subdue the big cats, which died later.
A profusely bleeding Yang was seriously injured on his head, neck, hands, arms and legs, and flesh had been ripped out from the lower part of his face, according to reports.
"He was brought in a coma caused by excessive blood loss," Dr. Gaoyan at Shenyang Military General Hospital, told the Xinhua News Agency. "His breath and heartbeat could be barely felt."
Yang came to Saturday morning after hours of operations. Doctors said he is still not out of danger from organ damage as a result of intense bleeding.
The zoo was closed to the public until further notice
No one knows how the tigers reached the pathway, which is wire-fenced and 2.8-meters high, or what provoked the attack on Yang.
One suspicion is that the beasts may have been starved over a long time due to a sharp drop in the zoo's revenue (and consequent lack of funds for animal feed), according to the Liaoshen Evening News.
"It is possible that the tigers attacked a human being because they are starved," Wan Dongmei, professor of zoology at Liaoning University, told the Global Times Sunday.
The zoo was founded in 2000 and home to more than 2,000 species of fauna, had 33 Siberian tigers before the incident.
Even before the economic downturn, there was a drop in the number of visitors, leading to heavy loss of revenue, as much as 50 percent in 2006.
The zoo administration, which has a poor record of animal feeding, dealt with the revenue shortfall by sacrificing small animals to save the big ones.
"Ducks and geese that once amused visitors were fed to the big cats that often had to make do with two dead chickens for a meal," according to an animal caregiver quoted in the Shenyang Evening News.
Other big animals, like the elephant, were also starved. Gnawing hunger drove the elephants to smash their heads against the wall to protest the reduced meal portions.
This is not the first time that the zoo has been shut down. On November 1, 2006, financial problems forced the first closure of the zoo. It reopened nine days later after the local government poured in millions of yuan.
This time, the closure is indefinite.
An animal caregiver surnamed Liu at Harbin's Siberian Tiger Park, the largest natural park for wild Siberian tigers in the world, told the Global Times Sunday that expenditure on feeding tigers is a burden to some zoos.
He said a grown tiger eats almost 10 kilograms of meat daily, costing nearly 150 yuan ($22). The cost of keeping a tiger on a full stomach is about 100,000 yuan a year. Whether overfed or starved, tigers are very dangerous, Liu said.
Siberian tigers, among the world's most endangered species, are found mostly in Northeast China and the far east of Russia. In the 1980s, it was listed as a first-class national protected animal of China.
There have been other tiger attacks in recent years. Earlier this year, a Siberian tiger in a wildlife park near Beijing mauled to death a man who climbed into its enclosure mistaking it for a shortcut down from the Great Wall.
In March 2008, a mentally ill man who entered a tiger's cage in a zoo in Heilongjiang Province ended up as its meal for the day.
There was also the strange incident in February 2007 of a 6-year-old girl who was being photographed with a tiger, at a zoo in Yunnan Province, being bitten by the beast.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/6813820.html
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/
Monday, November 09, 2009
Lynx escapes from German zoo
The lynx escaped on Thursday, has been sighted several times, and is believed to still be in the vicinity of the zoo.
Tierpark fahndet weiter nach jungem Luchs
/OZ/LOKAL/HWI vom 09.11.2009 14:03
Die aus dem Tierpark Wismar entlaufene junge Luchsdame konnte bisher noch nicht wieder eingefangen werden. Jetzt helfen die Bürger bei der Suche. Zahlreiche Anrufe mit Hinweisen gingen bereits ein.
Wismar (OZ) - „Am Sonntagabend war ich schon sehr nah dran, ihn einzufangen“, sagte gestern Tierparkchef Michael Werner. Gegen 20 Uhr rief ein Bewohner vom Köppernitztal an. Er hatte gerade seinen Müll entsorgt, als er den Luchs die Böschung zum Köppernitztal hinunter laufen sah. „Ich bin sofort hin und habe gehofft, dass er mich hört und ich im Schein meiner großen Taschenlampe die Katzenaugen gut erkennen kann. Leider hat’s nicht geklappt.“ Für Michael Werner ist es am wahrscheinlichsten, dass sich der Luchs noch in der Nähe des Tierparks aufhält.
Die Direktor hofft weiter auf Hinweise. Wer ihn anruft, möge an Ort und Stelle, wo er den Luchs gesehen hat, warten, bis der Tierparkchef eingetroffen ist. Bereits seit Donnerstag ist das Tier entlaufen.
Haike Werfel
http://www.ostsee-zeitung.de/mecklenburg/index_artikel_komplett.phtml?param=news&id=2606967
------------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://wwww.bigcatrescue.org
Tierpark fahndet weiter nach jungem Luchs
/OZ/LOKAL/HWI vom 09.11.2009 14:03
Die aus dem Tierpark Wismar entlaufene junge Luchsdame konnte bisher noch nicht wieder eingefangen werden. Jetzt helfen die Bürger bei der Suche. Zahlreiche Anrufe mit Hinweisen gingen bereits ein.
Wismar (OZ) - „Am Sonntagabend war ich schon sehr nah dran, ihn einzufangen“, sagte gestern Tierparkchef Michael Werner. Gegen 20 Uhr rief ein Bewohner vom Köppernitztal an. Er hatte gerade seinen Müll entsorgt, als er den Luchs die Böschung zum Köppernitztal hinunter laufen sah. „Ich bin sofort hin und habe gehofft, dass er mich hört und ich im Schein meiner großen Taschenlampe die Katzenaugen gut erkennen kann. Leider hat’s nicht geklappt.“ Für Michael Werner ist es am wahrscheinlichsten, dass sich der Luchs noch in der Nähe des Tierparks aufhält.
Die Direktor hofft weiter auf Hinweise. Wer ihn anruft, möge an Ort und Stelle, wo er den Luchs gesehen hat, warten, bis der Tierparkchef eingetroffen ist. Bereits seit Donnerstag ist das Tier entlaufen.
Haike Werfel
http://www.ostsee-zeitung.de/mecklenburg/index_artikel_komplett.phtml?param=news&id=2606967
------------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://wwww.bigcatrescue.org
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Two exotic cats escape from former home of breeder
Bobcat captured at former home of breeder
By Ashley Meeks Sun-News reporter
Posted: 11/07/2009 12:00:00 AM MST
LAS CRUCES - A bobcat was captured at the former home of an exotic cat breeder Thursday and another large cat is still on the loose, according to Doña Ana Sheriff's Department investigators.
The bobcat was isolated in a tree and shot with a tranquilizer dart to capture it without injury, after which it was transported to the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley, and is expected to be sent to a sanctuary, said Doña Ana County Animal Control Director Curtis Childress.
A second, slightly larger cat - possibly a pregnant bobcat or small mountain lion - may have escaped the residence before investigators arrived. The residence is north of Las Cruces on King Edward Avenue, near the intersection of Doña Ana Road and West Taylor Road.
The cat on the loose is not a threat to humans unless cornered or harassed, but anyone who sees it should call 911. Traps have been set, but children and small pets are recommended to be kept indoors until the cat is captured.
There have already been two sightings of the other cat, Childress said - while officers were trying to get the male bobcat down from the tree, the second cat was spotted lounging on top of the animal control truck.
"We do not believe it is an animal that belonged to her. It is possible her bobcat could have attracted this animal in the area," Childress said.
The 600 block of King Edward Avenue has been under surveillance since June when authorities relieved renter Kelli Perras, a former cat breeder, of 35 exotic cats, including 10 pregnant females.
Perras was evicted and moved into an apartment in the city, where Perras unlawfully kept four exotic cats, two servals and a bobcat, Childress said.
City Animal Control Supervisor Rudy Adame confirmed Perras was cited in October for having non-permitted animals and allowing them to run loose, both misdemeanors.
State wildlife officials transported the servals to a sanctuary in Kingman, Ariz., Childress said, but Perras appears to have taken the bobcat back to King Edward Drive, where the home-owners discovered it when they arrived to clean.
Do-a Ana County residents are allowed to own up to six domestic animals without a permit, or 15 if they have a multi-animal permit.
Perras did not have such a permit, nor did she have a permit for possessing a fur-bearing animal, said DASO Sgt. Joe Reynaud. Such permits are not likely to be granted, Childress said.
"We are not going to give a permit for the animals to be in Do-a Ana County and, as I understand it, the state is not inclined to give her a permit," Childress said. "Given her inability to be able to contain (the cats) in a facility where they can't get loose, I'm not going to subjugate the public to even the remotest possibility of being injured by the animals."
County animal control officers continue to capture other, exotic-looking domestic cats from the residence. The investigation is ongoing and will be reviewed by wildlife officers to see if possession of the bobcats constitutes state or federal violations.
The exotic cats removed in June - Bengals (seven generations removed from a cross with a Leopard Cat) and Savannahs (seven generations removed from a cross with a serval, a cheetah-like cat) - were valued at $800 to $1,200, a family member said at the time. They were transported to the Humane Society of the White Mountains in Lakeside, Ariz., about 130 miles northeast of Phoenix, so that they would not be euthanized.
Ashley Meeks can be reached at ameeks@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5462
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_13734744
----------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
By Ashley Meeks Sun-News reporter
Posted: 11/07/2009 12:00:00 AM MST
LAS CRUCES - A bobcat was captured at the former home of an exotic cat breeder Thursday and another large cat is still on the loose, according to Doña Ana Sheriff's Department investigators.
The bobcat was isolated in a tree and shot with a tranquilizer dart to capture it without injury, after which it was transported to the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley, and is expected to be sent to a sanctuary, said Doña Ana County Animal Control Director Curtis Childress.
A second, slightly larger cat - possibly a pregnant bobcat or small mountain lion - may have escaped the residence before investigators arrived. The residence is north of Las Cruces on King Edward Avenue, near the intersection of Doña Ana Road and West Taylor Road.
The cat on the loose is not a threat to humans unless cornered or harassed, but anyone who sees it should call 911. Traps have been set, but children and small pets are recommended to be kept indoors until the cat is captured.
There have already been two sightings of the other cat, Childress said - while officers were trying to get the male bobcat down from the tree, the second cat was spotted lounging on top of the animal control truck.
"We do not believe it is an animal that belonged to her. It is possible her bobcat could have attracted this animal in the area," Childress said.
The 600 block of King Edward Avenue has been under surveillance since June when authorities relieved renter Kelli Perras, a former cat breeder, of 35 exotic cats, including 10 pregnant females.
Perras was evicted and moved into an apartment in the city, where Perras unlawfully kept four exotic cats, two servals and a bobcat, Childress said.
City Animal Control Supervisor Rudy Adame confirmed Perras was cited in October for having non-permitted animals and allowing them to run loose, both misdemeanors.
State wildlife officials transported the servals to a sanctuary in Kingman, Ariz., Childress said, but Perras appears to have taken the bobcat back to King Edward Drive, where the home-owners discovered it when they arrived to clean.
Do-a Ana County residents are allowed to own up to six domestic animals without a permit, or 15 if they have a multi-animal permit.
Perras did not have such a permit, nor did she have a permit for possessing a fur-bearing animal, said DASO Sgt. Joe Reynaud. Such permits are not likely to be granted, Childress said.
"We are not going to give a permit for the animals to be in Do-a Ana County and, as I understand it, the state is not inclined to give her a permit," Childress said. "Given her inability to be able to contain (the cats) in a facility where they can't get loose, I'm not going to subjugate the public to even the remotest possibility of being injured by the animals."
County animal control officers continue to capture other, exotic-looking domestic cats from the residence. The investigation is ongoing and will be reviewed by wildlife officers to see if possession of the bobcats constitutes state or federal violations.
The exotic cats removed in June - Bengals (seven generations removed from a cross with a Leopard Cat) and Savannahs (seven generations removed from a cross with a serval, a cheetah-like cat) - were valued at $800 to $1,200, a family member said at the time. They were transported to the Humane Society of the White Mountains in Lakeside, Ariz., about 130 miles northeast of Phoenix, so that they would not be euthanized.
Ashley Meeks can be reached at ameeks@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5462
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_13734744
----------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Stray Sumatran tiger frightens villagers
Stray Sumatran tiger frightens villagers
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Sat, 10/24/2009 6:31 PM National
A Sumatran tiger has been found roaming around Jambo Papeun village in Meukek district in South Aceh regency, sparking fear among local residents.
Villager Suparto said Saturday he spotted the stray carnivore two days ago when he was fishing in the river just behind his house.
“I could only pray asking for divine intervention and told the tiger to go away,“ he told Antara, adding that the protected animal stood just three meters from him. Suparto said the tiger left him unharmed as it fled into the jungle.
Village chief Sasmin said the tiger had mauled five goats and 39 poultry chicken belonging to local residents over the last two weeks.
“The big cat has frightened us, but we cannot stop working in our farmland otherwise we will have nothing to eat,” Sasmin said.
The South Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency has sent a tiger tamer and put four traps across the village to catch the endangered animal.
Tigers mauled five residents of Meukek and neighboring Labuhan Haji district to death in 2007.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/24/stray-sumatran-tiger-frightens-villagers.html
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Sat, 10/24/2009 6:31 PM National
A Sumatran tiger has been found roaming around Jambo Papeun village in Meukek district in South Aceh regency, sparking fear among local residents.
Villager Suparto said Saturday he spotted the stray carnivore two days ago when he was fishing in the river just behind his house.
“I could only pray asking for divine intervention and told the tiger to go away,“ he told Antara, adding that the protected animal stood just three meters from him. Suparto said the tiger left him unharmed as it fled into the jungle.
Village chief Sasmin said the tiger had mauled five goats and 39 poultry chicken belonging to local residents over the last two weeks.
“The big cat has frightened us, but we cannot stop working in our farmland otherwise we will have nothing to eat,” Sasmin said.
The South Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency has sent a tiger tamer and put four traps across the village to catch the endangered animal.
Tigers mauled five residents of Meukek and neighboring Labuhan Haji district to death in 2007.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/24/stray-sumatran-tiger-frightens-villagers.html
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tiger attacks man in Kaziranga
Tiger attacks man in Kaziranga
PTI
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 7:56:00 PM
A tiger from Assam's renowned Kaziranga National Park (KNP) strayed into an
adjacent village and injured a man today, official sources said.
The tiger came into the house of the victim, Babul Ali, at Panbari, adjacent to the rhino homeland KNP in Golaghat district, to eat the goats he owned.
When Ali tried to drive away the big cat and save his animals, the tiger pounced on him inflicting several wounds, the sources said.
Babul was undergoing treatment at the Bokakhat Civil Hospital and was stated to be out of danger.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_tiger-attacks-man-in-kaziranga_1300951
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/
PTI
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 7:56:00 PM
A tiger from Assam's renowned Kaziranga National Park (KNP) strayed into an
adjacent village and injured a man today, official sources said.
The tiger came into the house of the victim, Babul Ali, at Panbari, adjacent to the rhino homeland KNP in Golaghat district, to eat the goats he owned.
When Ali tried to drive away the big cat and save his animals, the tiger pounced on him inflicting several wounds, the sources said.
Babul was undergoing treatment at the Bokakhat Civil Hospital and was stated to be out of danger.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_tiger-attacks-man-in-kaziranga_1300951
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/
Friday, October 09, 2009
Calgary police charge two men they say broke into zoo and tangled with tiger
Calgary police charge two men they say broke into zoo and tangled with tiger
October 9, 2009
CALGARY — Police say two men who snuck into the Calgary Zoo and ended up tangling with a tiger had been drinking and went to the facility after hours to surprise a staff member they knew.
"We do know the two offenders had been drinking prior to this," said Calgary police Staff-Sgt. Rick Halford.
"What their state of mind was before that, we don't know. We know they were intent on surprising somebody at the zoo and things got a little carried away.
"Apparently there was a staff member at the zoo they were familiar with."
Police say Trever James Wearmouth and Thomas Anthony Bryce-Hart, both 27, scaled the outer fence of the zoo early Monday and hopped a smaller safety fence around the tiger exhibit.
One of the men suffered severe injuries to his arms when the tiger attacked from inside its enclosure. The other man had minor injuries.
The pair ended up calling the staff member they knew for help. Halford said that person was not involved in the alleged caper in any way and didn't know the men were in the zoo until the call was made.
The two have been charged with one count each of petty trespassing. No criminal charges will be laid, Halford said.
Police would not reveal which man suffered the more serious injuries, citing privacy laws. Nor would they update the condition of the severely injured man.
Halford suggested that the duo's fate should discourage anyone who might be inspired to follow in their footsteps.
"I would think this should be big enough deterrent," he said. "Again, human nature is such that we can't predict that."
The first hint of a problem came about 1:03 a.m. Monday, when security cameras near the enclosure which houses three of the zoo's tigers caught a two-second glimpse of two men.
The pair had scaled a 2 1/2-metre-high fence topped with barbed wire, which surrounds the property.
Two fences surround the tiger enclosure. The men hopped the shorter safety fence, which is designed to keep people back from the exhibit.
Only one of the giant cats, a two-year-old male named Vitali, was outside at the time. With only a slim wire fence between Vitali and the men, the tiger attacked.
The security camera next caught the men as they were helped to a security station around 1:07 a.m.
Zoo officials said someone would have to be pressed up against the fence for the tiger to be able to reach them, and added the large cat probably used both his teeth and claws.
The animal was very unsettled when keepers first saw him after the attack, but he wasn't injured.
The zoo has said it is reviewing its security procedures in light of the attack. Vitali was born at the zoo in July 2007 to much fanfare because there are only an estimated 450 of his species left in the wild.
Siberian tigers are an endangered species found in the Amur Valley of northeastern Russia. They are threatened by habitat destruction and overhunting for their luxurious pelts and for body parts used in traditional medicines.
They are the largest species of cat in the world. Males weigh between 180 and 305 kilograms and can grow to be between three and 3 1/2 metres in length from their nose to the tip of their tail.
In the wild, the tigers eat mainly wild boars, deer and antelope. They ambush their target, sneaking up on it and then stopping within a few metres until ready to attack - sometimes waiting for up to two hours.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hhJicCSykdixBxZ5tvHUY-xFjfhQ
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
October 9, 2009
CALGARY — Police say two men who snuck into the Calgary Zoo and ended up tangling with a tiger had been drinking and went to the facility after hours to surprise a staff member they knew.
"We do know the two offenders had been drinking prior to this," said Calgary police Staff-Sgt. Rick Halford.
"What their state of mind was before that, we don't know. We know they were intent on surprising somebody at the zoo and things got a little carried away.
"Apparently there was a staff member at the zoo they were familiar with."
Police say Trever James Wearmouth and Thomas Anthony Bryce-Hart, both 27, scaled the outer fence of the zoo early Monday and hopped a smaller safety fence around the tiger exhibit.
One of the men suffered severe injuries to his arms when the tiger attacked from inside its enclosure. The other man had minor injuries.
The pair ended up calling the staff member they knew for help. Halford said that person was not involved in the alleged caper in any way and didn't know the men were in the zoo until the call was made.
The two have been charged with one count each of petty trespassing. No criminal charges will be laid, Halford said.
Police would not reveal which man suffered the more serious injuries, citing privacy laws. Nor would they update the condition of the severely injured man.
Halford suggested that the duo's fate should discourage anyone who might be inspired to follow in their footsteps.
"I would think this should be big enough deterrent," he said. "Again, human nature is such that we can't predict that."
The first hint of a problem came about 1:03 a.m. Monday, when security cameras near the enclosure which houses three of the zoo's tigers caught a two-second glimpse of two men.
The pair had scaled a 2 1/2-metre-high fence topped with barbed wire, which surrounds the property.
Two fences surround the tiger enclosure. The men hopped the shorter safety fence, which is designed to keep people back from the exhibit.
Only one of the giant cats, a two-year-old male named Vitali, was outside at the time. With only a slim wire fence between Vitali and the men, the tiger attacked.
The security camera next caught the men as they were helped to a security station around 1:07 a.m.
Zoo officials said someone would have to be pressed up against the fence for the tiger to be able to reach them, and added the large cat probably used both his teeth and claws.
The animal was very unsettled when keepers first saw him after the attack, but he wasn't injured.
The zoo has said it is reviewing its security procedures in light of the attack. Vitali was born at the zoo in July 2007 to much fanfare because there are only an estimated 450 of his species left in the wild.
Siberian tigers are an endangered species found in the Amur Valley of northeastern Russia. They are threatened by habitat destruction and overhunting for their luxurious pelts and for body parts used in traditional medicines.
They are the largest species of cat in the world. Males weigh between 180 and 305 kilograms and can grow to be between three and 3 1/2 metres in length from their nose to the tip of their tail.
In the wild, the tigers eat mainly wild boars, deer and antelope. They ambush their target, sneaking up on it and then stopping within a few metres until ready to attack - sometimes waiting for up to two hours.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hhJicCSykdixBxZ5tvHUY-xFjfhQ
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
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