Zheng Wei, an employee of Harbin's Manchurian Tiger Park in
Heilongjiang Province, was killed on October 3 by a six-year-old
Manchurian tiger which escaped from its cage.
The tiger wounded Zheng in the neck while he was unlocking a gate
in the park. When other workers arrived at the scene of the
accident, they found Zheng's carotid artery had been severed and
that his breathing had stopped.
Park manager, Wang Ligang, confirmed the accident and said that
this is first time a tiger has ever killed anyone at the park. The
victim's family have received 150,000 yuan (US$18,138) compensation
from the park.
Sun Haiyi, a Manchurian tiger expert from Heilongjing Institute of
Wild Animal Research, said the accident was most likely due to
improper security measures. The Manchurian tiger does not generally
prey on animals. They are suspicious cats and almost always avoid
contact with humans, except when they feel threatened or perhaps
during mating season. The day before the incident, the tiger
concerned had been wounded on the ear during a fight with other
tigers. This could be a possible reason for its attack.
Sun Haiyi also said that once a tiger has experienced killing a
human, it is likely to be even more dangerous. Knowing that humans
are vulnerable, the tiger may try to attack people again in the
future. He suggested that the tiger be imprisoned for the remainder
of its life. Termination is also an option, but since the
Manchurian tiger is a first-class protected animal, permission must
be sought from the higher authorities.
There are number of differing opinions on the subject of how to
deal with the tiger. Some people believe that human life should be
the first priority and therefore the tiger should be corporally
punished. Others believe that animals have no concept of humans and
therefore should be treated with more compassion. A local lawyer
said, "It's the park that should take responsibility according to
Civil Regulations'."
There are now less than 20 wild Manchurian tigers alive in China
today, and about 300 Manchurian tigers being raised in
captivity.
(china.org.cn by Li Liangdu, October 25, 2002)