This high school tried to turn their prom into a wild night — by including a caged tiger.
School officials in Florida are pawing off a roar of criticism after the big cat made a “shameful” appearance in a cage during Friday’s prom for Christopher Columbus High School at the DoubleTree Hilton Miami Airport Convention Center, the Miami Herald reports.
“How shameful for Christopher Columbus High School … showing its students on prom night who is the ‘king of the jungle,’” Mari-Cris Castellanos posted on Facebook Saturday. “This poor tiger was used as an EXOTIC amusement for the mindless teenagers who were present.”
Castellanos, whose brother attends the private all-boys Catholic school, said school staffers were responsible for the tiger’s “misery” and suggested they should have let the tiger free during the jungle-themed event.
“Why didn’t anyone open the cage and see what would happen to these ‘brave and courageous fire performers?’” Castellanos’ post continued. “Why does CCHS allows such animal cruelty?”
The event featured other caged animals, including a lemur, two macaws and an African fennec fox, school officials told the Herald. They defended the animals’ appearance and noted that hotel reps also approved the idea.
“Two Miami-Dade police officers were present the entire time,” administrators told the newspaper in a statement. “The animals were provided by facilities that are licensed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.”
The tiger, which did not perform during the prom, was never harmed or put in danger and was always accompanied by his handlers, officials said. For the most part, the tiger was “lying down in a relaxed state,” according to the statement.
A spokesman for ZooMiami, however, said the tiger showed signs of being “obviously stressed.”
“The tiger is clearly looking for a way to get out of that situation, it’s not difficult to interpret that behavior,” spokesman Ron Magill told the Herald. “He was surrounded by people, cellphones, lights, jugglers juggling fire. I really don’t know what they were thinking. Exploiting animal for entertainment at parties — that time has passed. We know better; we’ve been educated.”
Magill said he saw the tiger’s ears move to the side of its head, or flat back, both of which aren’t good signs.
“That’s what we call helicopter mode,” Magill said. “It’s how we read cats.”
Officials at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also blasted the decision, saying wild animals aren’t supposed to serve as prom decorations.
“Displaying a tiger in a tiny cage and allowing students to handle lemurs is cruel to the animals and dangerous for the students, and it sends the harmful message that living beings are props to be used for human amusement,” PETA officials told NBC News in a statement.
The school’s principal, meanwhile, has apologized for the tiger’s appearance and said he understood why some people were offended. School officials will now take a look at policies and procedures for events moving forward.
“We all have learned a great deal from this experience,” principal David Pugh told NBC News in a statement.
