• Donate Now
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
No Result
View All Result
Home News World

Big-cat experts say a determined tiger could get over 12 1/2-foot wall

Carole by BCR
August 26, 2014
in News World
0 0
0
0
SHARES
67
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email
Big-cat experts say a determined tiger could get over 12 1/2-foot wall
(BCR Quoted)
 
Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, December 29, 2007
 
Big-cat experts say a fully grown tiger could very likely climb the 12 1/2-foot moat wall at the San Francisco Zoo, especially if there were little or no water in the moat.
 
“That height would be scalable,” said Ronald Tilson, director of conservation at the Minnesota Zoo, who since 1987 has been overseeing the tiger species survival plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
 
“A tiger cannot leap over something like that, but what it can do is stand up and with a little hop or jump, more than likely get its paws on the ledge,” Tilson said. “That would not be much of a trick. And they are so powerful that they can scoot themselves up.”
 
Authorities still don’t know exactly how Tatiana, a 4-year-old Siberian tiger, escaped from her enclosure at the zoo on Christmas Day before fatally attacking one teenager and mauling two other young men.
 
But Tilson said the height of the wall protecting the public from the tigers “gives a reasonable explanation that the tiger got out from that spot.” The recommended standard height for tiger enclosures is 16.4 feet.
 
It’s not clear how far Tatiana could stretch her body when standing on her hind legs, but big-cat experts said it’s not unusual for tigers to be able to stretch to 10 feet or more. Tigers can also hop from their hind legs as much as 3 or 4 feet in the air.
 

“I’m 6 feet tall, and when we have a tiger stand up, they tower over me,” said Scott Lope, director of operations at Big Cat Rescue, a sanctuary with more than 100 felines in Tampa, Fla. “They’re easily able to stretch to 8 feet, and with a reach and an easy 4- or 5-foot jump, they’ve already spanned that distance.
 
“Nobody’s measured exactly how far or how high they can jump,” he said. “But this was a young, healthy animal. It could have jumped quite high, and if the wall was not a smooth surface it could get a clawhold.”
 

Sources have told The Chronicle that Tatiana’s rear claws showed signs of wear that could support the theory that the tiger used her rear legs to climb the wall. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that one of the victims dangled an arm or leg over the wall and that Tatiana latched onto the limb to pull herself out. But big-cat experts said she wouldn’t have needed that extra leverage to climb over the wall.
 
Water in the moat could keep a tiger from climbing a wall, but it would have to be deep enough that the tiger’s paws couldn’t touch the bottom, Tilson said. The moat in the San Francisco Zoo enclosure is dry, which tiger experts said is not uncommon in zoo exhibits.
Unlike domestic house cats, tigers like water and will wade or swim in it if they can, big-cat experts said.
 
While there’s little doubt that a tiger could escape over a 12 1/2-foot wall, experts said that thousands of the animals are kept in enclosures protected by walls roughly the same height, and yet they never escape. It’s clear, they said, that something provoked Tatiana to climb the wall.
 
“The problem is not necessarily a 12-foot wall. I know tigers around the world that are perfectly safe behind 10-foot or 12-foot walls,” said Martine Colette, founder of the Wildlife WayStation refuge for wild and exotic animals in Southern California. “The problem is the stimulus. There had to have been a tremendous stimulus that made the tiger react the way she did. If the wall was 20 feet tall, she still would have made the attempt.”
 
While zoo officials have said that they suspect the tiger may have been taunted, police have regularly said they have no proof of that.
 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/29/MN88U65U7.DTL&feed=rss.news
 
http://bigcatrescue.org
 
 

For The Tiger
Dee

http://bigcatrescue.org
http://www.savethetigerfund.org
http://www.worldwildlife.org/tigers/


Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.


Tags: News World
Previous Post

Zoo director says tiger wall lower than recommended height

Next Post

Sarabi Lioness

Next Post
Sarabi Lioness

Sarabi Lioness

Leave a Reply

  • Default Comments (0)
  • Facebook Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Help Feed Big Cats

One of the best ways to help is through general donations that can be used however it is most needed at the time.To make a general donation just click the Donate Now button below.  This is the best way to give as it has the lowest credit card processing fees and is immediate help for the cats.

Give to Big Cat Rescue

If you prefer to donate via Pay Pal, please use this link: Pay Pal

Recent Articles

  • State Laws Exotic Cats August 8, 2022
  • Sweet vacation! Aria tiger at Big Cat Rescue July 29, 2022
  • Wraaah! I iz in the outside! Kekoa rehab bobcat at Big Cat Rescue July 29, 2022

Recent Comments

  • Carole on What is a Tigon?
  • Zygmuś Solorz Żak on What is a Tigon?
  • Lacey on Savannah Cats and Bengal Cats Make Bad Pets
  • James Michael Walter on Ocelot Facts
  • Renee on Pallas Cat Facts

Save Big Cats

Donate to Big Cat Rescue

Sanctuary Cats

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

More from Big Cats

  • Big Cat Rescue is Live 24/7 on Webcams
  • Rescue Missions
  • About Big Cat Rescue
  • Big Cat Rescue News
  • Reviews
  • Our Recent Work
  • Sanctuary FAQs
  • Big Cat TV
State Laws for Big Cat Ownership

State Laws Exotic Cats

August 8, 2022
Sweet vacation! Aria tiger at Big Cat Rescue

Sweet vacation! Aria tiger at Big Cat Rescue

July 29, 2022
Wraaah! I iz in the outside! Kekoa rehab bobcat at Big Cat Rescue

Wraaah! I iz in the outside! Kekoa rehab bobcat at Big Cat Rescue

July 29, 2022
  • Donate Now
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2022 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • 2018 Appeal
  • About BCR
  • About our Cookies
  • Account
  • BCR in the Media
  • Big Cat NFTS
  • Big Cat Rescue Caring for Cats and Ending the Trade
  • Big Cat Rescuers
  • Big Cat Times
  • Blog
  • Board of Directors
  • Browse Submissions
  • Connections
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Credentials
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Donate Crypto
  • Embed Link
  • Followers
  • Following
  • GET THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT CUB PETTING
  • Global Big Cat News
  • Intern Program
  • Join Us
    • Registration
  • Kids
  • Latest from Big Cat Rescue
  • Licensing
  • Login
  • Login
  • Logout
  • Logout
  • Malaya Bobcat
  • Map
  • Map of Big Cat Owners
  • Member Directory
  • Members
  • My Profile
    • Edit Profile
  • Netflix
  • News about Big Cats
  • News Gallery
  • News@BCR
  • Our Live Feeds
  • Password Reset
  • PressRoom
  • Privacy Policy
  • Register
  • Register
  • Register
    • Edit Your Profile
    • Update Billing Card
    • Welcome
    • Your Membership
  • Rescues
  • Search result
  • Series Archive – Default header
  • Shop
  • SnowLeopard
  • Social Stream
  • Staff
  • Submission Confirmed
  • Teachers
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Terms of Use
  • User
  • USFWS
  • Vets
  • Videos archive
  • Get Involved
    • Automatic
    • Sponsorships
    • Volunteer
      • AdvoCats
      • Click to Feed
      • Intern
    • Legacy
    • Roar! Speak Out for Big Cats
    • Ink
  • Finances
  • How We Started
  • Abuse Issues
    • Issues
      • Exhibitions
      • Private Ownership of Big Cats
      • Zoos
      • White Tigers
      • Circus
      • Fur
      • Trophy Hunting
      • Canned Hunting
      • Why Regulations Don’t Work
  • Our Evolution
  • Photos & Facts
  • Videos
  • Our Volunteers
  • Your Privacy
  • Donate
  • Site Map
  • Field Trips

© Copyright 2022 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist