Prom Featuring Live Tiger In Miami Causes Uproar: Video

MIAMI, FL — If the graduating class at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami was truly hoping for a memorable senior prom, mission accomplished. It will be hard for any future class to top the lemur, exotic birds, fire dancer — oh, and especially the live tiger.

"We all have learned a great deal from this experience," explained School Principal David Pugh in a statement following this weekend's over the big top prom at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Miami Airport & Convention Center.

"Moving forward, we will evaluate our current policies and procedures in the planning and management of school events, including the impact these events have on others," Pugh added.

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People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals on Monday called on school officials to ban animals from future events.

"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," asserted PETA's Marta Holmberg. "Wild animals aren't prom decorations."

The animal rights organization added that Tigers are apex predators with home ranges of up to hundreds of square miles. "Those used for traveling shows are deprived of everything that's natural and important to them, such as opportunities to roam, climb, hunt, and swim," PETA said.

The "Welcome to The jungle" prom theme spawned a Twitter account under the name ColumbusPromTiger: "I’m just a regular tiger from Miami, FL who went to prom and didn’t get invited to the after party," said the account profile. "I like raw meat, stalking prey and Party Rock by LMFAO."

Wildlife expert Ron Magill of Zoo Miami told Local 10 News that he was shocked by prom video that appeared to show the caged tiger in distress.

"I didn't know what they were thinking.," Magill told the news crew. "It's going back and forth. It's not even just walking. It's going back and forth, back and forth. It's tail is slashing back and forth. It's ears are going into the helicopter mode, all signs of distress."

Magill said the tiger was clearly not in a celebratory mood. " This tiger is not having a party. This tiger is being stressed out," he added.

In hindsight, the school said that the tiger was a mistake and inconsistent with the Marist values of the private, Catholic institution which is dedicated to "prepare young men for higher education and for their continuous challenge of harmonizing faith, culture and life," according to the school website.

"Some individuals have expressed their sentiments about the use of animals as part of a performance at prom," the principal added in his statement. "We recognize this decision has offended some and for that we apologize. Although it was in a controlled environment and handled by professionals approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, we understand how some individuals may be concerned."