"These are predators," says Michael Hackenberger, a big-cat trainer of several decades and the director of the Bowmanville Zoological Park in Ontario, Canada. "They hunt, they kill, they eat."

Hackenberger cherishes his relationships with a now-deceased lion named Bongo and a tiger named Robby. Still, he's been attacked a few times, despite being vigilantly defensive in his handling of cats.

"I celebrate the relationships, but honestly, it is what it is," he says. "Why do we have to mollycoddle it?"

Any bonds tigers do form are defined by their biology, Hackenberger explains.

"In the wild, bonding among tigers exists while the male is penetrating the female," he says. "After that, they're done. In the wild, they form bonds with each other, and then kill each other. Male tigers kill a lot of female tigers."

Hackenberger says the real danger for tiger handlers arises when they refuse to accept the biological realities of big cats. "They don't only kill for food," he says. "Lots of times they kill for giggles. It doesn't make them bad. We just need to recognize it for what it is."

Hackenberger suggests that white Bengal tigers, like the one that mauled Roy Horn, have a reputation of being more aggressive than others because of a genetic predisposition.

"I won't disparage Roy," Hackenberger says. "No one will slam him. They've had a long history of doing a successful show. I have the utmost respect for him. They (Siegfried and Roy) truly are conservationists."

Salmoni, an energetic 28-year-old who is 6-feet-3-inches tall and 200 pounds, says he never ventures near his cats unless he's in top condition. He hasn't had any direct contact with them since undergoing back surgery in August.

Already in his career, Salmoni — a protege of Hackenberger's — has been seriously injured by a big cat. In 1999, Salmoni was performing in a show in Canada's Bowmanville Zoological Park with Bongo the lion, a seasoned performer. The lion charged him several times, with Salmoni fending off the attack with his forearm, which was badly mauled.

"If Bongo could try to kill someone, then any cat could," Salmoni says. "There's hardly a worse thing than to have someone you love try to kill you. It's a huge benefit to have a relationship with cats. But there's a risk. You've got to know that animal could and will kill you. That's the hardest part that Roy will have to get over, if he lives."

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