Tiger Attack at Tippi's -- More Details

The man who was injured in a tiger attack at Tippi Hedren's Shambala Preserve has been identified as 40-year-old caretaker Chris Orr. We're told he was attacked by a four-year-old Bengal Tiger named Alexander, seen here, who weighs almost 450 lbs.

Click to hear!A rep for the preserve says Orr suffered multiple scratches and one full bite to the neck. We're told that at times an animal may be trying to play with their human caretakers, but this was not the case in this incident. We're told Orr was definitely attacked by the cat.

We've learned the victim loves cats and has worked at Shambala for 20 years. He does not want the cat to be destroyed. Sources who work at Shambala tell us Tippi is absolutely devastated that one of her employees has been injured.

Hedren told the L.A. Times, "It's a terrible, terrible thing that has happened," adding that many of the animals at Shambala have been abused. "Who knows what happened to this tiger? People have kept them in closets, basements. Two of them were kept in air-conditioning systems." She describes the cat as a "mutt" and says it is one of the youngest on the preserve. She expects the caretaker to make a full recovery.

Initial reports that the animal was a liger -- a lion/tiger mix -- were incorrect.



Reader Comments

(Page 3 of 3) Previous 15 Comments

31. 'tis the seaon to extraahaact a lot of money outta peeeeeeeeepoles poh-hockets, fala lalala la la la la.......

Posted at 12:44PM on Dec 4th 2007 by makebelieve

32. Please note, that tiger was 4 years old and rescued in 2003, that means it was raised at Shambala and came to thsi facility as a tiny baby.Tiger came to Shambala s baby, it was raised there, don't blame the breeders, that the full responsibility miss Tippi.If the tiger was improperly traned, it was the reslut of what happened at Shambala.
As for the AC duct stories, how big was the AC unit???

Posted at 1:00PM on Dec 4th 2007 by Zuzana

33. To whomever added comment by Tippi Hedren.

Cleary Tippi didn't write this. What a horrible and mean spirited thing to post out here. Tippi has dedicated her life to saving these cats. The welfare of the Shambala staff, and the animals they house are of utmost importance. This is a tragic situation that can be laid at the feet of irresponsible breeders who exploit these animals for personal gain.

TMZ....these comments should be removed!

Posted at 3:22PM on Dec 4th 2007 by DE

34. Tippi constantly misrepresents the origin of the cats at Shambala. ALL the original cats were her and her husbands pets! I appreciate that they formed a non-profit so that the cats could continue to be fed after their production of Roar (rather than being destroyed.) it would be nice if Tippi didn't bad-mouth other private owners so much.

You can read all about it in Tippi's Book, "The Cats of Shambala."

My best wishes to Mr. Orr.

Posted at 3:25PM on Dec 4th 2007 by Fike F

35. Must be a slow news week in Hollywood!!! Isn't she like Melonie Griffitn's (has-been) mom?

Posted at 2:37AM on Dec 9th 2007 by lesliedc3009

Previous 15 Comments