Wild animals are wild no matter how tame we think they are.

This story from the Huffington Post:

(AP) BERLIN -- German police say a zookeeper is in critical condition after being attacked by three tigers.

Hamburg police said Wednesday that the 28-year-old animal handler at the private Hagenbeck Zoo tripped during a performance involving five tigers Tuesday night.

As he lay on the ground, three of the tigers descended upon him, clawing and biting him.

Bild newspaper reports the tigers were driven back into their cages with blasts of water and the man was rushed to a hospital for treatment.

Police say the wounds are considered life threatening.

-- The Telegraph quotes one of the guests as saying the tamer, Christian Walliser, "didn't stand a chance" in the incident.

"They were on him in an instant," the guest said.
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While I feel saddened that yet another "animal tamer" has had such a tragedy befall them, let me remind people of something, a tiger is a wild animal. It will never be tame, no matter how much time you spend with it. Incidences like this occur far too often, because humans will let down their guard and think that they know an animal or because they forget how to respect a wild animal and its instincts. My thoughts are that this may not be the first time that Mr. Walliser had a "run in" with his cats, but the first time it was ever this severe.