Tiger Attack Blamed on Pit Bull

When three tigers attacked a worker at an exotic animal park in southwestern Missouri on Monday all eyes were on the Pit Bull. In an attempt to cover up the tiger attack, the owners and associates at the park went ahead and cleaned up the site, telling authorities that the victim had been attacked by a Pit Bull. Only later during the weekend were authorities told what really happened, and were subsequently led to the tiger’s carcass, which had been taken to another property as part of the cover up.

Sandra Smith, one of the owners of the Wesa-A-Geh-Ya animal park, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she had initially misled authorities because she feared the facility’s animals would be euthanized if authorities learned the truth. Why did the investigators not question why a Pit Bull would have been inside of the park in the first place? And how could someone, who allegedly is a supporter and lover of animals, use one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented breeds to take the fall for an attack carried out by a wild animal?!

This story is just another example of the way in which Pit Bulls are viewed in our society, and here we have yet another person that has worked to further the hysteria and stereotypes surrounding these animals. The fact that no one initially questioned the fact that a dog attacked someone inside of a wild animal park enclosure is saddening, but the fact that the owners of the animal park would even choose to cover up the incident by wrongfully blaming the Pitbull is even more so.

No arrests have been made in the case, and no one from the animal facility has been charged with any wrongdoing, despite the fact that in 2003, the Smiths surrendered their license to exhibit the animals. Their license was later revoked after the USDA said there were violations at the site, including gaps in fencing where lions and tigers lived.

The person injured in the attack has undergone surgery on their leg and is expected to make a full recovery.

Story - Missouri Tiger Attack Blamed on Pit Bull