SARASOTA, Fla. -- Clayton Rosaire and fellow trainers at Sarasota's Big Cat Habitat are appalled by the tragedy in South Florida.
"We lost a woman who dedicated her life to taking care of some of the most endangered big cats on the planet, and she loved what she did," says Rosaire, the sanctuary's head big-cat handler.
Stacy Konwiser was part of the Palm Beach Zoo's breeding program for endangered Malayan tigers.
Around 2:00 pm Friday one of those tigers turned on Konwiser... Ending her work, and her life.
"You don't get into this business without the love for these animals and understanding the dangers that's involved even more," zoo spokesperson Naki Carter told media Friday.
Safety at Big Cat Habitat generally comes down to pairs: Two handlers in a cage at a time, double doors, and double locks. The Rosaires claim accidents like this are rarely the animal's fault.
"There's a million things that can wrong, but normally it's human error, it's just an accident," says Clayton Rosaire. "It's something no one planned on, no one would have ever expected it."
Elise Matthes, president of Sarasota in Defense of Animals, says this is the only thing to expect when exotic animals are put in captivity.
"A wild animal remains wild," says Matthes. "That never leaves them, and they can turn and revert back to being in that wild state again at any time."
The Animal Legal Defense Fund says "captive big cats" have caused 24 deaths since 1990.
However, without the care of zoos, 8th generation animal trainer Kay Rosaire says many tigers would no longer exist.
"We can't just abandon the effort because of a terrible accident," says Big Cat Habitat's founder. "It's got to continue in her memory, they've got to continue the program."
While the Palm Beach Zoo is closed for the weekend, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting an investigation into the incident.
