Saw this "Tiger" related clip on the net this AM and thought .........
Tiger mauls circus trainer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Reuters) - A trainer with the Ringling Bros. and
Barnum & Bailey Circus was mauled by a tiger Wednesday and hospitalized
in serious condition, police said.
The trainer was identified as Richard Chipperfield, a member of one of
Britain's oldest circus families.
His brother and fellow trainer, Graham Chipperfield, killed the tiger
with a shotgun after the attack, St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill
Doniel said.
The "Blue" unit of the circus is performing in St. Petersburg through
Sunday in the opening stop on its 1998 tour. Doniel said the attack
occurred in the ring at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg.
The trainers and about 14 tigers were posing for publicity photos when
one of the animals bit Richard Chipperfield in the head.
Other performers rescued him and he was treated by paramedics and taken
to a hospital. Doniel said police were still investigating the
circumstances of the attack.
"We're investigating what appears to be an accident," he said.
He said the victim's brother was "extremely upset."
Graham Chipperfield has been with the Ringling Bros circus since 1993
and Richard had just joined the show in December.
In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times last week, Richard
Chipperfield was quoted as saying, "Tigers are dependable and elegant
animals. I have fallen in love with them. They are so splendid."
But he said he knew they were still dangerous wild animals.
Tym McDowell
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