Zoo's should always be held responsible for animal actions, even if the person has been taunting the animal. Zoo's must assume some taunting will go on, regardless how many signs you put up saying 'don't disturb the animals'. With this assumption, they need to build an appropriate home for the animals that will keep them safe from humans, and humans safe from them.

NO,
I believe the Zoo took more than reasonable care for the safety of their guests. People have to understand that these are "wild" animals and proceed accordingly. We have to be responsible for our own actions and if we chose to “taunt” we take the consequences. It’s too bad the tiger had to be killed. I wish it could have been tranquillized and relocated.

No, the zoo shouldn't be held responsible and neither should the animal. Any dummy that taunts a 250 pound wild animal of any kind is just asking to get someone hurt or killed. Stupid is as stupid does.

I believe that the zoo should have more cameras and guards around the more dangerous animals that could get out if provoked by some idiot person taunting a wild animal that could tear thier head off!!!.Wild animals and humans should be more protected at the zoo.The tiger should have been set free in the wild.

No, I don't think that the zoo should be held responsible. If the signs read "don't disturb the animals" that means don't disturb the animals. It's a shame that the animal had to be shot & killed. I believe the correct action would have been to tranquilize the animal. Sorry to be disrespectful of the person killed, but if they were taunting the tiger, they got what they asked for. It's a wild animal for God's sake! What do people expect a tiger to do? Come up to them & start rubbing on their leg like a house cat? I feel bad for the tiger, not the person. The repercussions for the friends that survived the attack that may have been taunting the tiger, they should be the ones held responsible.

Sadly...it's a risk we take as humans attempting to contain a creature that's meant to live in the wild. Both deaths are unfortunate. In this case, I tend to feel worse for the animal...which had no choice in the environment in which it was living. Nature often has a harsh way of smacking reality into man. Observe wild animals at your own risk.

NAT Geo should be ashamed of even airing such a dispicable piece of garbage!

It is a difficult enough task to keep something like a tiger healthy, happy, and securely enclosed. To simultaneously keep humans from compromising that situation is nearly impossible because man is the most resourceful animal. Even when we decide we will act like retards, we are extremely resourceful at getting the worst possible results.

So safety IS the responsibility of the zoo, but I think total security is quite impossible when earth's most clever animal makes up his mind to do something preposterous. God forgive the tiger-taunters and bless their families.
Tatiana will be missed.

to noname: why should the channel be ashamed? What do you think this show is about? Isn't that what national geographic does- present important issues about animals and human's habitats?

When pulling any animal out of the wild into captivity you run a risk that is (seemingly) far greater than human understanding. We have yet to grasp the multitude of concepts within nature so it's understandable when things go wrong; if one doesn't understand something it's natural for things to go wrong. The zoo took on the responsibility of the tiger. As a result of these actions the tiger killed a human. It is most certainly not the tiger's fault for obvious reasons. The zoo has simply failed at its responsibility and must be reprimanded accordingly.

The very idea of zoos--which will tell you they house animals for their own safety and preservations--is nothing short of ridiculous. Animals have survived long before the human race and will be around long after the humans die out. The arrogant notion that keeping a few Bengal tigers in a cage will somehow keep them on the earth for ever does nothing but prove how we should stay away from wildlife unless in (human) life-threatening situations.

I can't help but see the irony in zoo officials killing the tiger when it's sole purpose for the tiger's original capturing was to "keep it from harm for future generations."

Animals that should be in the wild are always unpredictable. But, I do believe that its not the zoos fault. It is kind of un-comforting that the tiger was able to get out, but the people that were taunting her were in the wrong. The zoo needs to make sure that everything is up to regulation and if it was, then one way or another she would have gotten out if she wanted to if she was that mad to try to get out in the first place.

I visited Tatiana for almost two years before this happened at the SF Zoo. She was playful, curious and very smart. It's not right to taunt or provoke animals whether they are captive or not. Had the three kids behaved accordingly, this wouldn't have happened. Those who believe that it's "OK" to taunt and provoke animals, are the same kind of people who do so with their human counterparts.

According to records, both Denver Zoo and SF Zoo, Tatiana was taught several commands - which were recorded in her medical records. So, why was she destroyed? The head keeper who was not familiar with her or the big cats, not familiar with Tatiana's background, not even familiar with the SF Zoo Lion House routine, gave the instruction where to shoot Tatiana dead. I just don't understand how this keeper was given the authority to end this cat's life when he never worked with these animals. Why did Tatiana follow her tormentors when there were other zoo visitors and zoo animal babies who were within her grasp? Anyone with common sense knows the answer to that.

NO, the Tiger shouldn't be killed. First off the zoo should take better pre cautious to try to avoid such things from happening. Second of all. If you're gonna be an ass and tease a tiger then you deserve what you get.
Whether you get mauled or killed. Think before you act. and if you acted like an ass you just might lose it.

Why don't zoos just start using a collar that can release a tranquilizer into the animal remotely if something ever goes wrong?

Ultimately it has to be put on the zoo for not having an escape proof enclosure. I hate it that the poor tiger was taunted by those man boys to the point that she felt so threatened that she found a way to escape. Nobody wishes death on a 17? year old boy, even if it was his actions and that of his companions that caused the tiger to defend herself out of anger. I feel badly for the poor dead tiger most of all, for family of the dead boy and also for the zoo because of the situation. But no matter how safe they think an exhibit is, they need to be sure it is twice as secure to avoid something like this happening. Unfortunately stupidity should not condemn a person and a beautiful to death, as it did in this case.

Me again-I agree that zoos are not the best place for certain animals. But not all things done in zoos are bad. The person on this blog who suggested that Tatiana be released back into the wild would have been giving her a death sentence. Once in a zoo, it is not an easy task to ever have to dend for themselves again. I am not sure it would be possible to survive after being fed by humans and not be socialized in a natural setting. They should have tranquilzed her, but in the heat of the moment, seeing several people bleeding as she was attacking them, I understand the reaction of the police-I thought it was the police who shot her-but I may be wrong-and who is to say how she would have been after that? I totally agree that the event was precipitated by the young men, probably immature, bully types, who probably had no regard for animals and it makes me wonder why they would be in a zoo to begin with, other than to taunt and abuse; but again, nobody deserves to die for this, animal or human. I am glad the others were honest enought to fess up to their deeds at least.

The solution is - get rid of zoos. Keep animals in habitat for preservation of species and science - but not under the observation of Joe Moron - or things like this will continue to happen. its sad how much disrespect humans have for animals

We can't get rid of the zoos, they serve a great purpose. They study the animals so we can help preserve all of the species. The breeding progams at the zoos are in some cases the last hurrah for endangered species which we humans have destroyed. The tiger should have never been shot! The teenagers faced the consequences of making bad choices which I sure wasn't the first time. The zoos have all the precautions in place to protect the public but they can't always account for stupid human behavior like the woman who was attacked by the polar bear because she jumped TWO fences to take a picture!

No. Even though it sounds harsh those stupid kids got what they deserved. It's unfortunate one had to die but that't what they get for making stupid decisions. They were drunk and not there to obsrve the animals only to taunt them.

As Nick has mentioned above, the "victims" were under the influence of alcohol. An open and empty container of vodka was found on the front seat of their car. If you choose to drunkenly taunt a 300 lbs animal then you have to accept the consequences associated with that decision. ALSO, Tatiana could never have been tranquilized and then released into the wild. She was BORN in captivity, as she was part of a breading program which is trying to save tigers from extinction. I deffinitaly do not think she should have been killed... she should have been tranquilized and then rehebilitated. Those young men got what was coming for them, as well as lied to the boy's dad about his where abouts.

Nat Geo Docu-drama made it sound as though the three boys weren't at fault for taunting and provoking. I am truely disappointed that Nat Geo only choose those "facts" they wanted to bring to light, instead of stating all the facts about this worldwide case. Tatiana deserves better. They didn't mention the background of her tormentors - which really indicates the mentallity of these "victims". They also didn't mention that Tatiana was trained in several commands, sit stay, down, etc. The only dangerous animal out there is man. Poor job Natl Geo.

I believe the boys were not at fault...there are defintely signs all over the zoos that says crap like "do not taunt...etc", but come one now... lets be real...can a 1,2,3 year old understand the signs? I work at a Zoo...and I see SO many little kids daycare and elementary age "taunting" the animals...would it be their fault? besides you can walk pass a tigers cage and the tiger would consider that taunting just because your warm blooded and it would like to eat you if it could...and also the wall for the tiger was shorter than reommended, the zoo knew that.

The Zoo can not always be held responsible for what people do to those poor animals. I mean, if someone climbs over a fence, is it the Zoo's fault? I think not. The people taunting the tiger should have realized what their actions would result in. That tiger should not have been shot either. They could have tranquilized the animal and released it in the wild, WHERE THEY BELONG!!!!

Max: Zoo officials DID NOT kill the tiger. The police did.