Some thoughts on the White Tiger incident in Singapore Zoo

The incident that took place in Singapore Zoo on 13 November 2008 where three white tigers mauled a 32-year-old contract worker to death after he jumped into a moat at the white tiger enclave has attracted many comments and much discussion.

Judging from the comments and arguments put forth by many, I think many people seem to miss the point. I don't think there is anything wrong with the enclosure or the white tigers. Imagine if this man were to jump into the open sea and being eaten up by sharks, are we going to put up fencing all along the coastal lines or put all the sharks to sleep? Surely not.

As Biswajit Guha, the assistant director of Singapore Zoo said: "Prior to the incident, the zookeepers had actually noticed that the contract worker was behaving erratically. " He was throwing things around and as he was walking out of the zoo, he passed comments like 'Goodbye, you won't see me again'. He later cycled back and 5 minutes later, the alarm went off."

Going by what the man said during the last hour, he was already throwing hints that he would die soon. He needs attention. I think the problem is that many people are not sensitive enough towards his remarks. His superiors and his close colleagues might not have paid enough attention to his abnormal behaviour lately and take action to counsel him.

Usually, before a person commits suicide, he or she would have exhibited some abnormal behaviours or said something abnormal, people close to him or her should learn to take notice of those tell-tale signs and take positive actions to help. It is unfortunate that in this incident, the worker did not seek help or nobody around him was aware of his mental condition to render any timely help.

This incident draws similarity with the incident where a primary five school girl who plunged to her death from the 12th floor of a public housing flat. Actually, before her death, she did tell her classmates and her maid, "If I don't get a band one (more than 85 marks) for my Higher Chinese, I sure die." Usually, most people would take that as a passing remark and would pay no attention to it. But, this was a tell-tale sign that should be addressed by the people around her or the authority concerned. But, it was not and so the tragedy just happened.