[Cerek the Barbaric]

I read that same article and I have to agree that Siegfried is really clutching at straws here. I think he is afraid public opinion will be against the tiger and he is trying to defend it's actions. I don't think the tiger was trying to "protect" Roy at all. Whether Roy slipped or not, I don't know. What I do know - from the accounts I've read - is that he ended up smacking the tiger on the nose harder than he meant to and the tiger simply reacted to a percieved attack the same way any other wild animal one.

I saw a similar clip on Real TV one time where an Indian boy (as in India, not Native American) had a pet lion, and several of his friends were squatting down and petting it. Suddenly, the lion turned and grabbed one of the boys by the arm and it took all of his friends strength to drag him away from the lion. When they replayed the video in slow motion, you could see that the boy that got attacked shifted positions slightly. When he did, he slipped and accidentally stepped on the lions paw...which caused the lion to turn and attack.

I think the same thing happened here....but I do admire Roy for telling them not to harm the tiger immediately after the attack. Whatever your opinion of Siegfried and Roy keeping these animals in captivity, it seems obvious that both of them care very deeply for the animals.