A hungry animal goes after whatever is slowest.......

Why is it that the people that are so outraged about this don't care who the owner is, or ask why he/she never came forward?

A rational person would think that the owner is the one to blame!

This is an option that is being currently considered. If you like more information, from a local Ventura County paper, on options on what to do to the owner go to:

www.staronline.com

As I stated before, I am personally acquainted with the exact spot where the tiger was shot. It would have been possible for the tracker to first attempt to tranqulize the tiger and, if that failed, then shoot it. Using deadly force reflects a complete lack of planning.

The tiger had not hunted anything in two weeks. The tiger was also declawed. Anuone who has declawed a household cat knows that the cat must be kept indoors forever. A declawed cat cannot hunt or defend itself. Same thing for a tiger.

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1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
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Not in this weather!

So a declawed tiger is not dangerous? I bet Roy the Tiger tamer would disagree.

I'm sure if the tiger was a fetus you guys would have been chasing it with chainsaws since it was so defenseless.

*****! MedMech. I just spewed gin on my CRT.

For those broken up over this and looking for something to blow up, perhaps this is a good place to putch yo mouth errrrrrr money http://www.nfwf.org/programs/stf.htm

How much and how long?

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Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

He's seen one before so I'm sure there would be no problem

Lets see. A 400# predator hadn't had a meal in 2 weeks. Who wants to get in a canyon with kitty?

Have you ever shot at anything? Lets say you're within dart range of kitty, 50m or so. The tiger can take 50m meters in three bounds, accelerating the whole time. You've got a rifle powerful enough to stop a 400# animal. That's is a big mofo rifle. .45 to .50 cal, like a .458 win mag or a .50 cal Barret. If you're really quick you'll get one good shot and maybe a second hasty one of it's the Barret. Or you may have a double, in which case you have two shots for sure, but i don't give a damn how fast or cool you think you are, that second shot is not gonna be worth a crap. The tiger is charging so it is narrow and it's bounding--going up-and-down. Your job is to put a killing bullet into it before it bites Mr. Dartman's head off and then turns on you.

Unfortunately MedMech, the 'Bambi" view of nature predominates.

I suggest folks who think a 400 pound hungry predator will will come to "kitty-kitty" do some basic research.

Reminds me of those two nitwits who thought bears would never harm them if they only smoke soothingly and acted non-threateningly. Worked fine until the bear ate them.

Anybody have any idea what the range, accuracy and efficacy of the tranquilizer darts is? How many times would it have to be darted? The tiger can leap 20 ft or so, no problem. Anybody want to get close enough to a 400# predator to dart it?

Look, I would never shoot a tiger unless it were a threat to human life. I am awed at the magnificence of those beautiful animals. Before you folks get all fired-up in condemnation, get some facts together.

Yeh, i got a problem with the owner too man. he should have let the authorities know. i also have a bigger prob. with the sob.. de-clawing a cat is rather mangella like and sadists shouldn't own any pets...

as to the tranq. darts.. i don't know their range but can assure you it's more then 20ft.. what, they never tranquilize any animals? come on...

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Sure, all the time. But with large predators its always risky for both the animal and the shooter. Darts aren't very accurate and the meds don't act instantly. A large, intelligent predator can associate pain with a shooter and a high-speed hypo is gonna hurt. So you better have a back-up plan. Like somebody with a big mofo rifle who has excellent reflexes and steel-like nerves and is an excellent shot. Because a mad, hungry 400# predator barreling down on you within dart range is going to take the word, "Intimidating" to a whole new plateau.

I know a guy who was suppsoed to tranq a small black bear that was in a tree. It isn't as easy as it seems in theory. It's more like shooting a musket than a rifle and if the dart doesn't get good penetration in soft tissue, the animal may require a second darting. Or it might react like some humans do to a medicine--you know, in an unexpected violent way.

All I'm saying is that getting into a canyon full of madrono with a hungry, huge-f**king predator with a dart is a heck of a lot to ask of somebody who has a family.

i can't believe that you said that about cap'n..

when divers dive with killer sharks they dive in cages.. why not have a cage or an armoured vehicle.. plenty other solutions then straight up between the eyes...

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72 W114/M130

RedMeat cartoon

Okay, lets all imagine stalking an animal while inside a cage.

I mean no insult to anybody here but I have to ask this.

How many of you have ever hunted an animal? Hunting from a still position is the most common method. As long as you have good habitat and didn't drink a bladder-load of coffee, you have a fair chance of seeing game that way.

How about stalked game? When I used to hunt a lot I stalked deer and I got fairly adept. But I spent a hell of a lot of time in the woods in and out of hunting season. Even so, I didn't get a deer every season. Stalking is just really darned difficult and where I live, you have to be able to snapshoot--identify the target and get on it and shoot because the woods are thick and deer are very wary.

If that tiger was in typical chapparal, then the vegetation was thick in the canyon. Modrono and coast liveoak from shoe to overhead. Lots of shadows and linear shadows. The canyons are usually steep and narrow. The ground is close to the color of the tiger and streaked with dark shadows from the narrow limbs and branches. Dart guns are like a low-velocity musket, including singleshot. The gun is not accurate past 30 yards. The dope takes a couple of minutes to be fully effective.

You get in the brush in a steep, narrow canyon with your dart and you stalk a hungry 400# predator.

There's no doubt that if that kitty turned on you after you put a dart in its butt, you would be dead before you could say oh $hit.