China
07:23, 21-Dec-2017
Beijing tiger attack: Whose fault is it?
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A court in Beijing Tuesday began a long-awaited hearing into whether a wildlife park was responsible for a tiger attack that killed one person and injured another.
The attack occurred on July 23, 2016 at Beijing Badaling Wildlife Park in Yanqing District.
CCTV footage showed a woman surnamed Zhao getting out of a car to walk to the driver's side when a tiger pounced on her and dragged her away.
The woman's mother, hurrying out of the car to save her daughter, was also attacked.
The mother died and her daughter was seriously injured.
The three plaintiffs – daughter, husband and father of the deceased – said the "self-driving tour" provided by the park was flawed in design and therefore illegal. The tragedy should be attributed to a lack of contingency plans and effective rescue measures on the part of the defendant.
The plaintiffs are claiming 1.49 million yuan (230,000 US dollars) in compensation for the family of the dead, and another 690,000 yuan for the injured.
Based on an official investigation report conducted by the district government, no misconduct had been found by the park as the defendant said it had fulfilled obligations of warning, adequate rescue and paid for the initial medical and accommodation fees of the victims on humanitarian grounds.
The verdict will be announced at a later date. Chinese netizens reacted with a combination of shock and outrage. Most of them said that Zhao, as a rule-breaker, should take the responsibility for her own actions. Some even went as far as saying her claim for compensation is “extortion.”
Who is to blame? The park or the victims?
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency