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Zoo gets major donation | West Palm Beat
The Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society has received a $1.25 million donation from Palm Beach philanthropists Ruth and Ted Baum. The gift will be used for the construction of the Baum Entryway.

“A commitment of this size mark*s the beginning of an exciting growth phase,” said Palm Beach Zoo CEO and President Andrew Aiken.

Over the next year, the Zoo, visited by over 300,000 guests annually, plans to renovate several exhibits. Ruth Baum is a member of the Zoo’s Board of Directors and will chair its newly formed Design Committee.
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Zoo gets major donation | West Palm Beat
The Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society has received a $1.25 million donation from Palm Beach philanthropists Ruth and Ted Baum. The gift will be used for the construction of the Baum Entryway.

“A commitment of this size mark*s the beginning of an exciting growth phase,” said Palm Beach Zoo CEO and President Andrew Aiken.

Over the next year, the Zoo, visited by over 300,000 guests annually, plans to renovate several exhibits. Ruth Baum is a member of the Zoo’s Board of Directors and will chair its newly formed Design Committee.
Click to expand...
 
Hi. I have two questions about this incident. I would assume that there is positive separation between tigers and humans at all times (unless the cat is tranquilized). Is that not the case? I mean, is there an allowance that some cats are approachable for some handlers at some risk? Is this not as cut and dried as I imagined?

Also, would it be expected that after it attacks a keeper they would dart the cat once and then wait for the tranquilizer to take effect? Is there no benefit to darting it multiple times to try and take it down faster, considering the urgency of the situation?

I can't find any posts about this, and I am not trying to defeat any prohibitions if this is a forbidden topic. My family are frequent zoo attenders in Jacksonville, and I am stunned that this accident was possible. I am simply trying to understand some of the protocols that zookeepers undoubtedly deal with every day, as they are a complete mystery to me.

Rick
 
Hi Rick,
I am not quite sure how this incident occurred, and I do not believe hat many others are, either. As an AZA-accredited institution, the Palm Beach Zoo is required to use protected contact. Protected contact mandates that there must be a barrier in-between humans and cats at all times, except in extreme situations such as a fight, birth complications, and severe injuries. Protected contact is not required with all animals, but is mandatory with bigs cats, bears, elephants (soon), and several other animal groups. Why the keeper broke this rule is unclear, and was, quite frankly, a stupid decision.

As for the tranquilizing darts: While I am not an expert on anesthetics and related fields, I do not think that adding more darts would make the animal pass out faster (and I could be very wrong). However, a benefit may be striking the animal in a place where the substance spreads faster throughout the animal's body. Again, this may not be true, but it makes sense to me. Hopefully this answers your questions, and if you have any more, don't be afraid to ask.

Jay
 
Thanks, that certainly confirms what I expected about separation.

I think it is most regrettable that 20 minutes passed before they were able to get to her. That is a long, long time, and it may have made a difference.
 
What do they believe actually happened that resulted in the Tiger being able to attack her?

Of course there will be five million different versions of what happened flying around and of course someone will try to piggyback on this to make the zoo look bad.
 
wensleydale said:
What do they believe actually happened that resulted in the Tiger being able to attack her?

Of course there will be five million different versions of what happened flying around and of course someone will try to piggyback on this to make the zoo look bad.
Click to expand...

I had heard a lock was not secured.
 
Yes, to add some clarification to it, the keeper did not attempt to enter the same space as the cat at any time. She was a very experienced woman with many years of big cat work under her belt. A barrier failure was the cause for contact between woman and cat, and how the tiger escaped its immediate enclosure.

As well, adding dart after dart to the tiger could kill it. The strength of the tranquilizers is a very specific thing. Once the set dose is administered, it is essentially a waiting game for the tiger to go under. If they are to add more on top of that, it could indeed put the animal out faster, but there is a very good possibility it could kill the animal as well. Location wise, certain areas are better than others (a good shot in the rump is preferable), however it ultimately does not make a major difference where the dart hits, as long as the full amount of tranq is injected.
 
The zookeeper died at the hospital after waiting twenty minutes for the dart to take the cat down. Arguments that more sedatives might have overdosed the cat ring flat if they might have saved the keeper.

There is a compelling argument that the animal should have been shot to facilitate timely rescue. Overdosing the tranquilizer already tilts the playing field more in tiger's favor than the keeper deserved.
 
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