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Tiger Kills Teen During Photo Shoot
Breitbart.com ^ | August 18, 2005 | The Associated Press

Posted on 08/18/2005 3:38:13 PM PDT by xjcsa

MOUND VALLEY, Kan.

A Bengal tiger attacked and killed a teenage girl who was posing for her senior high school pictures at an animal sanctuary Thursday in southeast Kansas, authorities said.

The Labette County Sheriff's office identified the victim as Haley R. Hilderbrand, 17, of Altamont. A news release said Hilderbrand was at the Lost Creek Animal Sanctuary posing for a photo with the 7-year-old tiger, which was being restrained by its handler, when the animal attacked her.

Officers and handlers killed the animal. Emergency personnel were not able to revive Hilderbrand.


TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: animal; animals; attack; maul; photo; teen; tiger; zoo
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1 posted on 08/18/2005 3:38:14 PM PDT by xjcsa
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To: xjcsa

Why did she have to have a tiger in her senior portrait?

Such a tragic end to a young life.


2 posted on 08/18/2005 3:39:23 PM PDT by Feiny (Posting without spell checking for 5 years now.)
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To: xjcsa
What will happen when it is a herd of wild elephants?

-PJ

3 posted on 08/18/2005 3:41:15 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (It's still not safe to vote Democrat.)
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To: xjcsa

Too bad, though. I wish her family well.

4 posted on 08/18/2005 3:42:33 PM PDT by RedBeaconNY (Vous parlez trop, mais vous ne dites rien.)
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To: xjcsa
No! Bad kitty!
5 posted on 08/18/2005 3:43:24 PM PDT by RichInOC (Somewhere, Bill "The Fox" Foster is smiling.)
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To: xjcsa

Whoa?

Tragic. However, tigers are NOT just big 'kitty cats'. My 18 lb. Bengal is as much as I can handle at times.


6 posted on 08/18/2005 3:44:20 PM PDT by zencat (The universe is not what it appears, nor is it something else.)
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To: feinswinesuksass

These tigers are raised by humans from cubs..used to being handled..and usually quite safe..but occasionally something triggers an instant response. It also doesn't have to have been an attack.if the tiger leaped on her, playfully..with NO harmful intent..one accidental swipe of the paw could have broken her neck..Or, it could have been something like the scent of the perfume or hairspray she was wearing that triggered an attack response. We may never know..


7 posted on 08/18/2005 3:45:11 PM PDT by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to pass on her gene pool....any volunteers?)
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To: xjcsa
...the 7-year-old tiger, which was being restrained by its handler...

What do you want to bet the words "don't worry" were used to calm the teenager.

8 posted on 08/18/2005 3:45:39 PM PDT by randog (What the....?!)
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To: xjcsa
Officers and handlers killed the animal

They should have given the animal to the family. The family could decide to keep it or kill it.

9 posted on 08/18/2005 3:47:37 PM PDT by RightWhale (Withdraw from the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty and open the Land Office)
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To: randog

Hey..I'm startin t' think these wild animals are...dangerous!!


10 posted on 08/18/2005 3:47:44 PM PDT by samadams2000 (Pitchforks and Lanterns..with a smiley face!)
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To: ken5050

and usually quite safe..

The problem is, in a situation like this, the safety factor is all up to the tiger.


11 posted on 08/18/2005 3:48:23 PM PDT by kenth
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To: xjcsa

(Note to self: stay away from bengal tigers.)


12 posted on 08/18/2005 3:48:44 PM PDT by Search4Truth (Fight the stupids, read Freerepublic.com)
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To: xjcsa
He must be stopped!


13 posted on 08/18/2005 3:49:53 PM PDT by Textide
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To: xjcsa

You rang?


14 posted on 08/18/2005 3:49:56 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War (John Bolton for White House Press Secretary!)
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To: Political Junkie Too

Did you read that article about 'scientists' wanting to
transplant lions and elephants in the western states to
control elk herds and to bring back plant diversity
as it was in the days before humans infected the land...

While at the same time preserving African wildlife...

Freaking wacko scientists..and Third Wayers...

Want 2/3 of the humans dead so the elite can enjoy a primitive earth unspoiled by the unter menchen..

Ja Ja mein furer vee vill get right on that....


15 posted on 08/18/2005 3:51:46 PM PDT by joesnuffy (Save the whales. Redeem them for valuable prizes.)
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To: xjcsa

How sad... I bet she thought she loved tigers.

Unfortunately, the unnatural life the tiger was put into doesn't make it no longer a tiger. I'm sorry it was killed. They are too rare to be wasted for acting like a predator.


16 posted on 08/18/2005 3:53:39 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/)
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To: stylecouncilor

ping


17 posted on 08/18/2005 3:54:48 PM PDT by windcliff
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To: HairOfTheDog

"Unfortunately, the unnatural life the tiger was put into doesn't make it no longer a tiger."

You can take the tiger out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the tiger.


18 posted on 08/18/2005 3:55:27 PM PDT by tuffydoodle
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To: RightWhale

>>>" give it to the family they could decide to keep it or kill it">>>>

What a bizarre suggestion. I am sure they would want to keep it around as a reminder of what it did to their daughter. NOT!


19 posted on 08/18/2005 3:59:43 PM PDT by Ditter (?)
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To: xjcsa

"..which was being restrained by its handler, when the animal attacked her."

YOUR FIRED!


20 posted on 08/18/2005 4:00:33 PM PDT by Integrityrocks
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To: joesnuffy
Yup. Didn't say much about the need for environmental impact studies on the existing animals and plants, though. I guess they only demand studies for Right-leaning projects like refineries and power plants.

-PJ

21 posted on 08/18/2005 4:03:33 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (It's still not safe to vote Democrat.)
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To: Ditter

What a bizarre suggestion. I am sure they would want to keep it around as a reminder of what it did to their daughter. NOT!

I don't know, a really GOOD taxidermist could have done
a stunning job of capturing the moment!

It would be pricey though.


22 posted on 08/18/2005 4:07:33 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: xjcsa
I have two male Alley cats that weigh about 24lbs each. I have never tried to make them lap cats as they were born feral. If one of them get made at you a swipe from a front paw is amazing. The strength these two house cats have is difficult to explain.
23 posted on 08/18/2005 4:07:35 PM PDT by devane617
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To: xjcsa

Extremely sad news.
By the way, it doesn't make much difference, but this Washington Post link has it as a Siberian tiger:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/18/AR2005081801167.html

Additional info: Doug Billingsly and his family opened the 80-acre sanctuary in 1994. According to the sanctuary's Web site, its animals include lions, leopards, tigers and bears. The site says the sanctuary has an affiliated Animal Entertainment Productions, which trains animals for stage performances, movies, television shows and magic shows.


24 posted on 08/18/2005 4:14:49 PM PDT by rawhide
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To: xjcsa

Damn. Poor kid.


25 posted on 08/18/2005 4:15:27 PM PDT by TheBigB (Gum would be perfection!)
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To: xjcsa

Some please call the Darwin Award's Committee.


26 posted on 08/18/2005 4:21:53 PM PDT by Lunkhead_01
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To: xjcsa

You take your chances, you pay the price. These people who think they can live with grizzlies, swim with Great Whites, and handle crocodiles are stupid. They are supposed to be wild animals. This tiger should not have been killed just for being a tiger.


27 posted on 08/18/2005 4:37:12 PM PDT by DuckFan4ever (Cindy who?)
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To: xjcsa

I wonder if she and her parents were animal rights activists?
This kitty reserved the right to be a predator.
She could have been with her boyfriend just prior to the shoot. Or on her monthly cycle. Animals know. They Always know.


28 posted on 08/18/2005 4:37:55 PM PDT by Mrs. Shawnlaw (Rock beats scissors. Don't run with rocks. NRA)
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To: xjcsa
...which was being restrained by its handler...

A seven year old tiger? Only when the tiger wanted to be "restrained."

29 posted on 08/18/2005 4:51:18 PM PDT by FreePaul
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To: xjcsa

Stupid decision.


30 posted on 08/18/2005 4:54:02 PM PDT by TASMANIANRED (Conservatives are from Earth. Liberals are from Uranus.(c))
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To: Mrs. Shawnlaw
This kitty reserved the right to be a predator.
Animals have rights now?
31 posted on 08/18/2005 4:54:22 PM PDT by jayhorn (when i hit the drum, you shake the booty.)
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To: RedBeaconNY

That picture brings back fond memories. I did just that when I was about that age. The "wall plugs" then were sockets in which you screwed the plugs. Mine didn't have a plug in it and the knife just went right in.


32 posted on 08/18/2005 4:54:39 PM PDT by FreePaul
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To: ken5050
Or, it could have been something like the scent of the perfume or hairspray she was wearing that triggered an attack response. We may never know..

Wonder what stage of her menstual cycle she was in.

33 posted on 08/18/2005 4:54:41 PM PDT by connectthedots
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To: xjcsa

Poor kid.



That being said...Darwin award winner.


34 posted on 08/18/2005 4:55:30 PM PDT by trubluolyguy (If you think you're having a bad day, try crucifixtion.)
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To: rawhide

I went to a sanctuary like that over near Huntsville Ala. some years ago, lions tigers, etc.
My friend was debugging their computer. It seemed almost every room in the house had a large caliber fire arm in it.


35 posted on 08/18/2005 4:55:51 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: jayhorn

Of course I believe animals have rights!
Animals have the right to:
Feed my body
Clothe my body
and Fill my bank account


36 posted on 08/18/2005 5:07:56 PM PDT by Mrs. Shawnlaw (Rock beats scissors. Don't run with rocks. NRA)
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To: devane617

My experioence is that even a 6 pound house cat can be more than a match for a 70 pound dog, especially if the dog is fairly laid back, like a lab. The soft little kitty can turn into an instant flying could of knives and needles.


37 posted on 08/18/2005 5:09:30 PM PDT by libstripper
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To: tet68

You're sick, I like that in a person. ;9)


38 posted on 08/18/2005 5:13:09 PM PDT by Ditter (?)
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To: ken5050

My bet is she had long hair. The movement of long hair sets big cats off (house cats too). No matter how tame they are they are hardwired to kill.


39 posted on 08/18/2005 5:16:11 PM PDT by azcap
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To: Ditter

Interesting that the law has changed so much that the old common law would be seen as bizarre.


40 posted on 08/18/2005 5:23:42 PM PDT by RightWhale (Withdraw from the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty and open the Land Office)
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To: xjcsa

As maha rushie likes to say "A tiger is a tiger."


41 posted on 08/18/2005 5:25:16 PM PDT by EmilyGeiger
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To: DuckFan4ever
This tiger should not have been killed just for being a tiger.

That's right. It should have been killed, cut into small pieces, and buried outside town.

42 posted on 08/18/2005 5:29:51 PM PDT by RightWhale (Withdraw from the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty and open the Land Office)
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To: xjcsa

Have people in Kansas not heard of Photoshop?

They could have had her sitting next to a tiger in front of the Eiffel Tower surrounded by Hobbits.


43 posted on 08/18/2005 5:30:50 PM PDT by Uncle Donuts
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To: RightWhale
That's right. It should have been killed, cut into small pieces, and buried outside town.

Sounds like the kind of thing a young budding serial killer does. I bet you sit out on your porch and shoot at cats and anything else that moves too.

44 posted on 08/18/2005 5:33:48 PM PDT by DuckFan4ever (Cindy who?)
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To: tet68
I went to a sanctuary like that over near Huntsville Ala. some years ago, lions tigers, etc. My friend was debugging their computer. It seemed almost every room in the house had a large caliber fire arm in it.

It was Alabama. What makes you think lions and tigers had anything to do with it?

45 posted on 08/18/2005 5:35:11 PM PDT by papertyger (Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." – Frederick Douglass)
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To: FreePaul; RedBeaconNY
When my big brother was five and I was three he was teaching me about electricity and figured that, due to the design of the outlet, a pair of tweezers would work better than a knife.

I sure learned a lot about electricity from him that day.

46 posted on 08/18/2005 5:36:04 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum.)
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To: papertyger

Well, that true, but the lions and Tigers kept the
riffraff out.


47 posted on 08/18/2005 5:36:41 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: xjcsa

Sad -- Wouldn't Photoshop have been sufficient?


48 posted on 08/18/2005 5:37:57 PM PDT by MediaMole
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To: DuckFan4ever
I bet you sit out on your porch and shoot at cats and anything else that moves too.

What? They don't have the concept of "practice" in Oregon? :->

49 posted on 08/18/2005 5:38:56 PM PDT by papertyger (Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." – Frederick Douglass)
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To: DuckFan4ever

Missed. That is common law as it was in the old days.


50 posted on 08/18/2005 5:39:57 PM PDT by RightWhale (Withdraw from the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty and open the Land Office)
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