![]() ![]() ![]() You would think it would be the death of a human being that would have enough of an impetus to get lockouts built on all of the big cats’ cages immediately, even if it meant doing a special fundraiser for that purpose. Much of that work on lockouts was done in the last year, AFTER the revocation of Lori’s USDA license and the closing of the park to the public–four YEARS after the liger attack. Even though lockouts are NOW in place for more than half of the big cats (according to Lori, who is not reliable, when it comes to the truth, as we’ve shown repeatedly on this page), even back then, the ones in place were often not used. And staff and volunteers still feed the cats meat by hand and enter many of their cages during feeding time (see the many photos we’ve posted on this page proving that). Kurt Beckelman is still park manager at Safari’s and in charge of the big cats. There was a lack of common sense in planning for potential attacks from these large animals. The truth is that the mace and a fire extinguisher were always kept ON THE CART, outside of the big cats’ enclosures even when staff and volunteers entered their enclosures to feed and clean them. Obviously, neither did Kurt or he would have been able to use it immediately instead of asking the community service worker first for water to spray on Rocky and then to get the mace from the cart. Kurt was too much in pain and couldn’t see because when he sprayed mace on Rocky, he got the spray in his own face, too.Kurt says Pete did not have his mace on him that day. One of the parents from the tour group did. Ivy Cook, not Kurt, was the one who applied pressure to Pete’s neck to try to stop the bleeding, using her shirt that she had taken off for that purpose.Kurt did not call 911. ![]() The following statements will correct false information provided in Kurt’s testimony: WE did this and Rocky grabbed the meat in his mouth, when for some unknown reason Pete reached out and pushed Rocky’s head with his hand.” (Read more in the copies of the affidavit at the end of this post, as well as a copy of the sheriff’s report of November 5, 2008, with Kurt Beckelman’s statement, in which Kurt wrote: “Both Pete & myself opened the door to Rocky the liger to give him a piece. Kurt stated: “WE decided to open the enclosure gate and throw the meat (approximately 1 hind quarter) inside. ![]() This sworn testimony to the USDA on November 18, 2008, by Safari’s park manager Kurt Beckelman, confirms, as Ivy Cook previously reported, that it was a joint decision between both himself and Pete to open the gate to feed part of the deer carcass to Rocky the liger. "We're trying to redo it and get it up to standards so we can get it open to the public, he said.Safari’s Sanctuary’s owner, Lori Ensign-Scroggins, told the media and the public that Safari’s intern Peter Getz made an unfortunate decision, for some reason unknown to her, to open the gate to the liger’s enclosure during feeding time on October 29, 2008. The park three miles north of Adair is not open to the public. and worked on the woman more than one hour before she was flown to the hospital. The center was formerly near Corsicana, Texas, but has relocated.Īrea emergency personnel responded at about 2:30 p.m. Whether she reached in or leaned up against the cage, we don't know.Įstes said the tiger belongs to the International Wildlife Center of Texas, which is leasing one of the park's buildings. "There's little slots where you can slide water in. He said she was helping another handler and was not in the cage at the time of the attack. The woman was a volunteer at the park and had six years of experience as a large cat trainer, Estes said. The woman died at a Tulsa hopsital, said Joe Estes, owner of Safari Joe's Rock Creek Exotic Animal Park. ADAIR A tiger attacked a handler at an animal park Wednesday, severing her arm and causing a fatal loss of blood. ![]()
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