Wild animals called perilous pets

The tiger that attacked Roy Horn was not trying to protect him, as one report suggested; it was intent on killing him.

That's the assessment of Barrie K. Gilbert, one of Utah's most renowned animal behaviorists. He says the attack underscores the lesson that humans should not have close contact with certain large carnivores like tigers, lions and mountain lions. In fact, private ownership of these animals should be outlawed, he says.

An emeritus assistant professor and senior scientist in the Department of Forest, Range and Wildlife services at Utah State University, Logan, Gilbert knows firsthand about the hazards of big animals. While researching at Yellowstone National Park in 1977, he was mauled by a grizzly bear, losing one eye and nearly dying.

On Oct. 3, news reports say Horn was attacked by a 600-pound white tiger named Montecore while performing before a sold-out audience of 1,500. The tiger lunged at the famed illusionist and dragged him offstage. An audience member said Horn looked like a rag doll.

Horn was in critical condition for many days. But Siegfried Fischbacher, Horn's partner, said last week that Horn is making the transition from survival to recovery. He has been moved from the intensive care unit at a Las Vegas hospital to UCLA Medical Center.

"I'm astonished at the number of big cats that are in private possession," Gilbert told the Deseret Morning News in a telephone interview. "I'm not big on government regulations, but some of these things are such a threat to people around them. . . . "

He finds it "primitive" that the private possession of tigers, lions and mountain lions is not outlawed.

A recent example of inappropriate ownership of extremely dangerous animals was the case of a Manhattan resident who kept a tiger and an alligator in his apartment, he said.

"If you're going to live in a community, you can't maintain a dangerous animal nearby," Gilbert noted. "This would seem like common sense."

Wild animals have instincts that have served them for thousands of generations. This internal programming to attack or hunt cannot be erased by making a pet of a cub and caring for it for several years.

Big carnivores are not the same as domestic animals or pets that have lived with humans since ancient times.

"I guess I'm surprised when people's dogs bite their children. I'm not surprised when farmers' bulls gore them and kill them," Gilbert said. When a goring happens, "there's usually an explanation."

Some of the most dangerous wild animals are deer and elk. Someone may find an orphan fawn and raise it but still end up seriously injured.