Having worked in a zoo setting before, I'm all too familiar with the balancing act that goes on between providing an entertaining experience for zoo visitors and providing a safe and healthy atmosphere for everyone in attendance (humans and animals alike). That's why the story of Tatiana, the siberian tiger who mauled 3 people Christmas day at the SF Zoo is so unsettling to me. This tiger had a history of being unsettled, and had previously mauled a keeper who hadn't respected her boundaries and got too close. As someone who has worked in this industry, you'd be amazed at the number of times in a day that zookeepers take risks with their own safety and 'trust' animals that they really shouldn't. Just because an animal is in a zoo setting does NOT mean that they're friendly towards people (as the case with Tatiana shows). Very often in fact these animals hold a grudge towards humans as their captors. They know that the reason they're behind bars being poked at by small children all day is because people put them there. So can we really be surprised when, given the opportunity, they lash out at their captors?

Several times in my career caring for reptiles and birds I put myself in a situation where I wasn't comfortable because it was what was 'expected' of me. I shouldn't have to respect the boundaries set by the animals - I'm the human, I should set the boundaries. That's the predominant view held by any zoo that I've ever had dealings with. This is a dangerous dangerous outlook and will necessarily result in the death of animals AND people. If we insist on keeping animals in zoo settings (which I'm very divided on, just for the record), then we obviously need to do so in a much more humane and respectful way. If we are to bring these animals into our lives we owe them the respect shown to other human beings, at the very least.

If you want to see the only zoo that I feel is making concerted steps in the right direction I urge you look into the Australia Zoo, formerly run by the late Steve Irwin. The man was a beautiful soul dedicated to helping humans and animals live in a mutually beneficial relationship. His interactions with animals showed the world that you need not overpower or coerce animals into compliance - simple respect for how they see the world is enough. His wife Terri and his daughter Bindi have continued his legacy and it brings me great joy to see someone as young as Bindi leading this crusade. I've worked my whole life with animals and there are things that this little girl is miles ahead of me on already.

As this new year approaches, I urge you take the time to think about how our species treats the rest of the animal kingdom. If you visit a zoo this year, please ask them what sorts of measures they take to insure that the spiritual and emotional well being of the animals is being met. Ask them their policies on how they perform routine maintenance in enclosures or health checks on the animals. Go here to make a difference in the life of a zoo animal.

If you have animals in your own home, vow to make their lives just a little better this year. An animal that harms humans is one who's needs are not being met. Animals, like humans, all have the capacity to be happy and balanced - if you live with an animal, you owe it to them to aid them in this. If we take responsibility for putting them in captivity, we owe it to them to keep them safe and happy. If an animal attacks a human, it's the human who made the mistake, not the animal.