Disposable Life--An Epilogue for Tatiana and Tusker

Animals and alcohol do not mix.  One would think this is a no-brainer.  One does not normally drink a six-pack and get on a horse; but, there are those who do.    The person is usually hurt and the animal is confused and frustrated.  The lives of the person and the horse are placed in imminent danger as the drunk rider tries to exert control over 1200 pounds of sober muscle and brain.    Where in our society is this acceptable behavior?

Since the Christmas Day maulings at the San Francisco Zoo, and subsequent murder of the Siberian tiger, Tatiana, the truth is slowly seeping out:   Tatiana was teased, taunted and tormented into action.    Because of the admitted impaired judgement of the young men involved, two lives were regrettably snuffed.  The preventable  losses of life now loom against the parties in the case who must attempt to justify their behavior by identifying and smearing anyone else who might carry some of the liability.  

This was a no-brainer:  you do not get high and tease a tiger.

The cost of this tragedy is high.  A young man´s life and an endangered tiger can never be replaced.  The wounds on the others will heal, but the scars, seen and unseen, will remain for the rest of their lives.  The liability and subsequent damages to the San Francisco Zoo may prove too much to continue operations as before.

Soon after Tatiana´s tragic demise, another similar tale surfaced from across the globe in Zimbabwe.

Tusker, the beloved Charara Camp elephant, who had been treated like a welcome guest for a lifetime, was executed.  The 50 year old elephant, a favorite to rangers and visitors, was known to visit camp and encouraged to interact with people.  People gained his trust through the years and, as he hopefully enjoyed this attention, he no doubt became a marketing tool.  Because of this trusting relationship and his easy manner, Tusker became a target for taunting and abuse, not unlike Tatiana. 

New Year´s revelers, partying en masse at the camp, reportedly began harassing Tusker by honking car horns,  shooting off fireworks, flashing headlights and shouting at him.  Their behavior escalated to throwing bottles at him, slapping him and plucking hairs from his body.  Tusker, credited with never showing aggression toward any human, damaged some cars in his attempt to communicate his displeasure with the ongoing abuse.

Another no-brainer:  you do not imbibe then agitate an elephant.

"Tusker was the resident Charara elephant…", said Johnny Rodrigues, head of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.  " He was a legend and a great favorite of tourists and locals alike."  He disagreed that Tusker had become a danger to humans as park rangers decided to shoot him.  For understandably defending himself, and no seemingly viable alternatives in sight, Tusker paid the ultimate price.

These reckless losses of life are only part of this harrowing equation.  These two individual animals, under human care, involuntarily surrendered their lives to our whims of disposition.  They were made dependent on humans by design.  They were cruelly mistreated as a result of some skewed ideas of fun.  When Tatiana and Tusker ceased to be assets, they were immediately classed as  liabilities. 

The climactic decisions of these sad events are merely symptomatic of a deeper, more frightening reality:  our loss of humanity.   Our actions placed these animals in no-win situations and  then we decided they were expendable.  This sober abandonment as guardians of our planet will prove us expendable and result in our ultimate demise.

Another no-brainer.