Chinese zoo stages tiger attacks for tourists

[urbpan]

Chinese Zoo Stages Tiger Attacks for Tourists.

The headline is a little misleading. The "tiger attacks" are staged by dumping a cow out the back of a truck into the tiger enclosure, which is an open area that the buses full of tourists drive around. There are several warnings about graphic content, but I didn't see anything gross. Upsetting probably, but not gross.

I haven't heard the audio, so I'm not sure if this is being sold as enrichment or if its unapologetically for entertainment value. Suffice it to say, this wouldn't happen in a North American zoo.

Comments

[candent.livejournal.com]

I think we are ethically obligated to recognize that animals deserve the right to live, to not be eaten, skinned, etc.

[bellisaurius.livejournal.com]

The absolute position on animal rights in this case can't be correct, if for any reason, because tigers eat meat. The methods they use can't be compared to those people use because they don't have the ability, so therefore, they can't have the repsonsibility to ensure the animal goes down quickly.

The real question is whether we have a moral responsibility to the cow, to put it down before feeding it to the tigers. While the animals are being tossed into it for entertainment value, they're not being treated in a way that resembles dogfighting, as in this case, the cow was born for the sake of being food, and the tigers aren't in grave peril.

Like I said, I feel squeamish, but it's not activating a moral feeling, which has me wondering why.

[matthewdh.livejournal.com]

so you want the tigers to kill and eat tofu cows?

[candent.livejournal.com]

Did I say that?