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Physicist Calculates Trajectory of Tiger At SF Zoo

Posted by kdawson on from the parabolic-stripes dept.

KentuckyFC writes "Is it really possible for a 350-pound tiger to leap a 12.5-foot barrier from 33 feet away? (Said another way: a 159-kg tiger, a 3.8 m barrier, and 10 m away.) A physicist at Northeastern University has done the math, a straightforward problem in ballistics, and the answer turns out to be yes (abstract on the physics arXiv). But I guess we already knew that following the death of Carlos Souza at the paws of Tatiana, a Siberian Tiger he had allegedly been taunting at San Francisco zoo at the end of last year."

5 of 713 comments (clear)

  1. So he taunted... why difference does it make? by FuzzyDaddy · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    The repeated mentioning of this guy taunting the animal irritates me, because it seems to imply it was his fault.

    Sure, if I saw a guy taunting animals at the zoo I'd think he was a complete jerk. If it was really out of hand, I'd call security to arrest the guy.

    But it's not something he deserved to die for.

    --
    It's not wasting time, I'm educating myself.
  2. great! by apodyopsis · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    time to work on my tiger cannon as the perfect means to an end to deal with a prize jerk who gets off on taunting caged animals!

    the question of blame is interesting, yes there is blame to the zoo for the inadequate protection, but there is also blame to victim no. 1 for being a prize asshat.

  3. Re:Hmm by paleo2002 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Yes its harsh, but . . .

    1) There are 6.5 billion people in the world. How many tigers are there?

    2) The people involved had a wall, moat, opposable thumbs, the largest brain-to-body-weight ratio in the animal kingdom, sentience, and at least 12 years of general education between them and the tiger. Who has the advantage in this scenario?

  4. Re:Hmm by operagost · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I'll make sure you (or a loved one) are the next to be sacrificed to an animal who-- I assure you-- has absolutely no regard whatsoever for the value of your life. Please, for our sakes, go back to surfing PETA.org and munching tofu.

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  5. Re:Hmm by anthonys_junk · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Again people do stupid things every day, especially teenagers, it doesn't mean they deserve to die.

    Doesn't mean they deserve to live either.

    That fucking idiot got exactly what he deserved, it's a crying shame that the other two got away.

    Most animals I know are better than most people I know.

    --
    Barbara Felden claims prior art on the flip phone, sues Motorola, Nokia.