It's not often that I feel it necessary to respond to comments made by journalists, but an irresponsible remark concerning "Victor," the Siberian tiger at the Kyoto Zoo, certainly raised my hackles. As unfortunate as the incident involving Saturday's death of the tiger's keeper might have been, this beautiful animal has been severely maligned by the reference to him as a "man-eater." Tell me, how many men has Victor actually eaten?
As a member of the Tokyo Zoo Society, and a supporter of Tama Zoo, I must protest this rash statement. Victor was moved from the spacious, grassed enclosure at Tama Zoo to the concrete-floored Kyoto Zoo around the end of last year, and suffered a debilitating leg injury in the process.
It was with much sadness that we watched him go. For those who knew him, he was always a gentle giant. The move placed him under significant duress, and fellow zoo members who had seen him at Kyoto Zoo had noticed a change in his character.
Although my heart certainly goes out to the family of keeper Atsushi Ito (40), I hope they give poor Victor a break. He does not deserve the mantle that a columnist has burdened him with; he deserves to spend his remaining years in comfort, back home in the Tama Zoo. I would ask that journalists choose their words more carefully in the future.
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