Zion Wildlife Gardens yet another big cat accident at Zion

It was only a matter of time!

 

Everyone knows that this park is a disgrace, and yet why is it still able to remain open to the public? I never read anything positive about the establishment.

 

The keeper was killed:

Should Zion Wildlife Gardens in Whangarei be shut down? - 27 May 2009 - Your Views - NZ Herald Blog

 

Dalu seemed to be the parks head keeper, was responsible for the guided tours and interactions. Maybe they will actually properly open the park to the public instead of charging out the arse for private tours because of this.

 

There have been a number of concerns with this place and I wouldn't be surprised if this led to the park being temporarily shutdown, if not permanently.

 

This is all very upsetting.

As soon as I heard the news I thought: Craig Busch will say that this wouldn't have happened if he was still in charge of the park. And... lo and behold... this is exactly what he is implying.

The fact is, big cats are not domesticated. They are wild animals, and no amount of "training" will overcome this fact. There is no reason for keepers to be inside enclosures with big cats. This attack was inevitable, and, in my opinion, a direct consequence of the culture at Zion which was established by Craig Busch - namely one of bravado and machismo. I believe his need to physically interact with big cats is ego-driven, and is definitely not necessary in order to deliver a message of conservation.

I sincerely hope that this incident does not lead to his re-instatement as director. What Zion needs is a trained zoo professional who can implement industry approved safety protocols and improve animal welfare standards, while delivering an accurate conservation message.

But I doubt this will happen...

 

almost as if the cats are allies with the media, just as something happens with Craig Busch himself, the media are all over it, then there is an incident at Zion. This is just from where I'm standing from though.

Poor guy though. R.I.P

 

The death of Dalu was completely un-necessary. Why were they in an enclosure with two loose tigers in the first place. My opinion is the hands on methods is nothing short of a travesty and should be banned in New Zealand. The lack of regard for the predatory nature of these large cats by Zion was reinforced a couple of weeks earlier with Dalu taking two young Lions to New Plymouth to be 'Living Artworks' in a picture theatre. Zion Wildlife Gardens are nothing but a facility for using animals as entertainment for a commercial gain. Conservation? Inbred Tigers isn't conservation it's the genetic destruction of a species more like.

My sympathies go to Dalu's family for their loss.

On the other side of thing yes some certain forums are of course saying "If Craig was there this wouldn't have happened" Village Idiots. They think the animals there are cuddly toys. No they're predators as of natural selection.

 

Of course, if Craig had been there, this might have happened six months ago.

Hix

 

What annoys me is the white tiger bullsh*t that keeps getting spotued from this place. I'm on an animal managament course and there are loads of people who know a lot about animals, and yet some of the still believe they're a critically endangered subspecies due to hype from places like this. Is he not in charge of the park anymore?

 

iparently craig busch has been suspended from the park because he was mistrating the animals and i not sure its correct but he threatened to hit a royal white tiger with a fire extinguisher.