Bridge Lake – Tanya Dumstrey-Soos, 32 was killed at the Siberian Magic exotic animal park in Bridge Lake British Columbia, Canada after being attacked by a Bengal Tiger named Gangus.
“The animal is part of a collection of exotic and domestic animals. It appears that the animal … reached outside of the cage and grabbed her. Upon arrival police determined that all the animals were in their cages and the woman was found lying on the ground receiving help from family,” said Const. Annie Linteau, a spokeswoman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, [RCMP]. Gangus is one of two Bengal Tigers at the park.
The owner of the park is Kim Carlton, the boyfriend of Dumstrey-Soos. The entire attack was witnessed by the children of Carlton, his 15 year-old daughter and 12 year-old son who both called for help shortly after the attack.
Dumstrey-Soos was standing near the tiger’s cage when he grabbed her legs. According to the mayor of nearby Williams Lake, Scott Nelson, all of the injuries inflicted onto Dumstrey-Soos were at her waist and below. She was taken to a hospital in the town of 100 Mile House, where she was pronounced dead.
Authorities with the B.C. SPCA are not surprised that the attack happened, claiming that they tried to remove the tigers from the park several times.
“This is extremely sad, but not unexpected. We’ve spent thousands of dollars trying to have these animals removed.” said B.C. SPCA spokeswoman, Marcie Moriarty who also said that the animals arrived in 2005. Moriarty also said that the tigers lived in small cages made of chain-linked fencing and that the locks were too small.
The reason that the tigers were not removed from the park is because, according to Moriarty, the SPCA does not have the facilities to hold the tigers until proper housing can be provided for them.
“When we went up there, we realized we weren’t just dealing with animal cruelty, we were dealing with a public safety issue,” added Moriarty.
Dumstrey-Soos worked as a receptionist and saleswoman at the 100 Mile House Advisor newspaper
6 comments for Two children witness woman being killed by a tiger »
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the tiger was only protecting itself from having to eat Tiger Chow with melamine in the wheat gluten. Canadian women’s flesh is gluten free.
Comment by Barry Berlin — May 12, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
You know Barry, I think you are confusing two issues here. You see, one is that a woman was killed by a tiger. Get it? The other is incidental to the main story. Next time you make a comment, think about the one’s who lost their whole world in a split second and the trauma they are going through. You idiot!
Comment by Larry Peters — May 13, 2007 @ 8:49 am
Yeah um shut up larry. life ends for every one in a split second. that is the order of things in a world goverened by nature. It just so happens this was funny, and why is it funny?… because this has happened before. Animals reach out of their confines and grab ahold of whatever is close and gives it the business end of their claws and fangs.
This isn’t new and has happened before and no offence and not to blame the dead, but I will anyways. Her lack of using “common sence” lead to this, but fortunally we learn by our mistakes and those of others and hopefully her onlooking brood learned a valuble lesson from mommies miss calculation in distance.
This is a world geverend my the rules and laws of nature and no matter how many fences we put up and construct them of we still must realize we are made of meat along with being thin skinned and slow moving in comparison to the other animals on the big cat menue. i just hope this poor animal isn’t destroyed for doing what it was programed by hundreds of thousands of years of evolution to do to do.
Comment by E Fields — May 13, 2007 @ 9:39 am
Uh, like, Larry, this idiot woman should never have had a tiger contained in a 12×12 setting.
Too bad for the tiger – really.
Comment by karra — May 13, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
It amazes me that people are not deeply aware that wild predatory animals are truly dangerous. People must learn that there are basically two kinds of animals 1) “wild”
(uncontrolled, unrestrained, haphazard, uncultvated in their behavior wherever they are) 2)”domesticated” (tame, cultivated,essentially not dangerous,accustomed to people)
Comment by Fran Maus — May 13, 2007 @ 8:06 pm
Until stupid exhibitors wake up and smell the coffee or tea this is going to happen to the public in general because they are not aware of these type of animals habits. It’s Just A Cat in a Cage and is not dangerous. The exhibitor living next to us is just as stupid. He has been levied a fine for the death of a women in Oklahoma and do you think it will ever be collected? Hell no because he hasn’t a pot to pee in nor a window to pour it out of that he can call his own. If USDA and other officials would collect on these fines then they could build containments or fund other places that knows how to handle these animals and will not exhibit. We are talking abou 32,500.00 dollars in fines and that will build one hell of a place for cats such as these.
When this person came to our neighborhood Local, State and Federal was contacted about this person and his habits of feeding and animal care and one state offical even came out to check on these animals and me being the neighbor showed him the watering containers and pools that were covered over with scum and no way to drain them. If cat’s such as these are not being fed properly or watered what the hell do you expect. go for a week or two with no food and see if you don’t get mean as hell. Oh and this state offical stood back on his cell phone and allowed me to water these animals. We really have some over paid under worked officals that want to sit on their a–es and let these type of things happen. This person is living in a neighborhood with children and you can crawl under his front gate. Wake up people it’s not the animals fault. Go after the DAMN owner of these animals and put them in cages for a while with dirty water and no food.
The state officals call ahead of time to let this a–hole know when they are coming to inspect. Wake up people tell the drug pushers when your coming to bust so they can hide their stash.
This is the American version of why this shit happens. Get the officials off their A–es and on their feet and this shit won’t happen.
Comment by margie — May 14, 2007 @ 6:47 am