“The blood of Eko tiger is on the hands of those who show off on TV," Carole Baskin said.
Carole Baskin has chimed in on the killing of a rare Malaysian tiger in Florida after the big cat bit a contract worker who got too close.
Expressing outrage, the Tiger King" star said, "People see others behaving stupidly, online, and showing off. Then they think they can do that, too, and that ends in tragedy."
The Naples Zoo reopened on Friday after closing for a day following the Wednesday attack.
River Rosenquist, 26, faces a long recovery after being mauled by Eko the tiger. A sheriff's deputy shot and killed the tiger after the animal latched onto the contractor, who provides cleaning services to the zoo.
“Once they become adults, they will kill you,” said Baskin. “Just like Eko, who was 8 years old. He became an adult when he was about 5 years old, and it was not safe to touch him after that point.”
Baskin, who runs Big Cat Rescue in Citrus Park, also said she believes animals should not be placed on display for the ticket-buying public.
“It’s just wrong,” said Baskin. “So please, never pay to see a captive big cat unless it’s at a sanctuary where they’ve been rescued and given a safe place for the rest of their lives, but they’re never bred for life in captivity.”
