BRIDGE LAKE, British Columbia, May 11 A Canadian woman bled to death as her children watched after she was mauled by one of her boyfriend's pet tigers.
Tanya Dumstrey-Soos was in the Siberian tiger's enclosure petting it when it grabbed her leg, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Kim Carlton, the tiger's owner, was not present.
Carlton has several tigers at his home in Bridge Lake, a small community in the interior of British Columbia near 100 Mile House. The province has no laws against owning exotic pets.
Scott Nelson, the mayor of Williams Lake and Dumstrey-Soos' boss, said her son and daughter were outside the cage.
"What was more horrifying was that it was the young kids that actually called in the ambulance and the police because they were right there with their mom," he said. "They are obviously under tremendous stress right now." Marlene Moriarty of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the group had been trying to remove Carlton's tigers for more than a year because the cages are too small. She said people should remember that exotic animals are unpredictable and can turn on people instantly.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
