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LURAY — The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has called on the U.S. Department of Agricultural to launch an investigation into a recent incident at the Luray Zoo involving a tiger and a juvenile employee.
The 5-year-old female Bengal tiger in question (named “Star”) was involved in an incident that occurred around 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16, in which a 15-year-old employee lost a finger. According to a report filed by the Page County Sheriff’s Office, the teen was showing the animal to visitors when she stuck her fingers into the tiger’s cage to pet it.
The tiger, which weighs around 225 pounds, pulled the girl’s arm into the cage and began scratching and bruising the girl’s arm up to the elbow, biting off her “pinky” finger and leaving her with severe lacerations on her left hand.
According to the zoo’s owners, the cat was just being friendly by taking the teen’s hand in its mouth, likening it to a domesticated cat or a dog.
When the employee yelled for the cat to let go, a visitor that thought she was in trouble jumped the 4-foot barrier in between the public and the cage and began pulling the girl away from the tiger — inadvertently putting her in the middle of a “tug-of-war” with the animal.
The employee was taken to Page Memorial Hospital before being airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.
This was the first such incident in the zoo’s 25-year history.
On Nov. 19, three days after the incident occurred, PETA sent a letter to the USDA charging that the zoo was in violation of several regulations and urging that the federal Animal Welfare Act be enforced.
“News reports indicate that petting the tiger was routine,” the letter reads. “Teenage employees and volunteers should not be permitted to have any form of direct contact with potentially dangerous animals.”
USDA regulations state that during public exhibition, dangerous animals such as tigers must be under the direct control and supervision of a knowledgeable and experienced handler.
In a press release issued the same day, PETA also claimed to have contacted the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry about the incident. PETA charged that the zoo had violated the law by letting the teen “work in an occupation that exposed her to a recognized hazard, capable of causing serious physical harm or death.”
“Tigers aren’t wind-up toys,” PETA Director Debbie Leahy stated in the press release. “Unfortunately, it often takes a tragedy like this one to make zoo operators and the public realize that locking up big cats in cramped cages is a recipe for disaster.”
If it is found that the zoo did in fact violate Animal Welfare Act regulations, it faces anything from an official warning by the USDA, to monetary fines and revocation of the facility’s operating license.
According to the zoo’s owners Jennifer Westhoff and Mark Kilby, the zoo operates strictly under USDA protocol.
“We don’t have any plans to hide,” said Westhoff. “We’re very proud of the work we’ve done, being the only rescue zoo in Virginia.”
Kilby, a passionate animal lover, expressed dismay over PETA’s recent involvement.
“We [and PETA] are on the same team,” he said. “But I’m disappointed in their actions.”
Westhoff and Kilby said they have repeatedly discouraged employees from handling the zoo’s animals because of the inherent danger in touching or petting wild species. They both agreed that the employee had made a “conscious decision” to pet the tiger, and that she was in no way encouraged to do so.
“We’ve repeatedly told our employees not to handle the animals,” Kilby said. “I’m not going to be nice about it anymore.”
According to PETA representative Lisa Wathne, discouraging employees not to touch the animals is “not enough.”
“There is not an accredited zoo in the country that would tolerate employees touching and handling animals,” said Wathne. “If they know that it was taking place — it is a failure on their part.”
The teenage victim was released from the hospital last week and is said to be doing well in her recovery. Before returning home, she made a stop at the zoo to say hello to its owners, and the tiger.
“She wants everyone to know that it’s not the tiger’s fault and that she’s still going to work here,” Westhoff said.
While Westhoff and Kilby admit the incident and all the media attention around it has taken its toll on them personally, they have received positive feedback from the community and have vowed to continue to care for the animals. As of press time, there was no indication of how the USDA may rule on PETA’s request for an investigation.
“We can’t sit down and feel sorry for ourselves,” said Kilby. “We have a responsibility to the rest of these animals.”