To the sounds of enormous jungle roars, a police sniper rappelled down the side of a Harlem apartment building yesterday and fired tranquilizer darts through an open fifth-floor window to subdue — seat belts, please — a 350-pound Bengal tiger.
The daring, and creative, bit of sharpshooting helped end an episode in which the New York Police Department, unaccustomed to bagging big game, nonetheless managed to sedate the beast. Officials planned to send the tiger, temporarily being held at the Center for Animal Care and Control on 110th Street, to a conservancy in Ohio.
One might be tempted to ask....what was a tiger doing up on 141st street? Was it captured and brought there? Does it know not to drive on the FDR North between 5 and 8? Will it be able to navigate the subway system? Some who were interviewed offered insightful commentary.
"If he had escaped it would have been a very bad thing," - Dr. Robert Cook, Head Veterinarian at the Bronx Zoo.
Yeah, for the tiger. There are guys up there who live for the day that they can fight a wild animal on the streets of New York City. Trust me, some of them are good friends of mine....
I should really be more surprised that the police found a tiger in Harlem. But I'm not.
Posted by mike at October 5, 2003 07:37 PMWho do you think would win in a fight? Tiger or Crocodile? It would be on land though, because in the river it would be unfair to the Tiger. Maybe a little bit muddy to even it out. I'd root for tiger, cause mammals have to stick together! One thing I do know, a fight would be GRRRREAT!
Posted by: Greg on October 9, 2003 07:52 PMGreg that last joke was so bad it was funny.
Posted by: mike on October 10, 2003 01:33 AM