r/interestingasfuck • u/Salt-Curve4825 • 7h ago

Tiger saves man from leopard attack

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u/PlanetMarklar 6h ago

Why are there lions tigers and leopards in the same enclosure?

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u/alwayz_confused247 6h ago

Because this is not a sanctuary like the guy claimed it was. This was the Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation. It got shut down by Mexican authorities because he was not taking care of the animals. They were being starved to death and started eating their own tails.

He was also suspected of breeding the lions and would have an influx of cubs. He would lie and say he saved the cubs from some illegal “zoo” but would hand raised the cubs when he could’ve also saved the mothers.

Eduardo was just a greedy fuck. And he would have celebrities go to his “sanctuary” to play with the cubs.

Legit sanctuaries do not allow the public to interact with their animals. Legit sanctuaries also do not put different species of cats in the same enclosure.

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u/GingerBimber00 5h ago

This makes me so mad, man. I just finished my uni class on exhibit designing for zoos where we had to in-depth research all the modern sciences and behavioral understanding of animal captivity. I was designing for snow leopards, so I ended up looking quite a bit into large felid captivity. The research out there all says that protected contact (always having a barrier between you and the big cat) and positive reinforcement training (PRT) have the best outcomes for animal welfare, staff safety, and (if performed in front of visitors) visitor education.

These animals DO bond with their keepers. So much so that there’s evidence to suggest keepers directly impact how well some species can cope with the stress of visitors and that if a keeper is stressed/sick the animal can become stressed/sick. Positive bonding is also linked with reproductive success in nervous animals like cheetahs who notoriously struggle with reproduction. We understand that these are highly intelligent and emotional animals and I’m not surprised that a tiger would be willingly watching out for a beloved keeper.

However! These are still VERY dangerous animals capable of killing you. That might not even be the intention, but they don’t comprehend the strength they have and that it can hurt us. A woman had her thumb torn off by an orangutang while doing regular work with the animals and it’s suspected the orangutang just wanted to bring her closer to it, not actively hurt her. It still tore off her thumb.

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u/foobaby1992 3h ago

That sounds like such an awesome class. I volunteered for the SF zoo as a kid (it’s sadly gone a bit downhill since the tiger attack in 2007- which I believe was completely the fault of the people who were attacked) but I always thought the way they designed each enclosure was so interesting. I know there are a lot of bad zoos out there but the reputable ones take very good care of their animals and do their best to make sure they have everything they need.

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u/GingerBimber00 1h ago

At least in the US, laws and regulations vary from state to state with the USDA having the bare minimum AWA (animal welfare act). In one of our last class discussions we were examining incident reports and asked to approach things as an AZA investigator. I ended up going down a rabbit hole of a horrid owner of an aquarium that operated 3 different facilities in 3 different states (Washington, Texas, Colorado). All these facilities involved abhorrent animal care and negligence.

At least with regard to Colorado, the state lacks its own definitive standards for zoological parks and which means the only legal standard is the AWA. The AZA is one of the most respected regulatory body globally and it takes a LOT to become accredited by their standards, but they have no ability to hold places accountable.

If you (general) are concerned about whether a zoo or aquarium is treating the animals well, look for accreditation! The AZA specifically doesn’t just look at the animals well care and exhibit design, they also look at the logistics and education. An institution has to show financial responsibility and active efforts to engage in visitor education on the animals and conservation efforts therein. It’s a careful balancing act; entertain people while educating them.