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Intent is what is being discussed here though, not liability.

A circus lion biting somebody's face is legally different than a circus lion trained or instructed to bite somebody's face.

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Intent might be what’s being discussed but intent is, for the most part, legally irrelevant. It might make the difference in the degree of a murder charge, or maybe manslaughter, or criminal negligence, but it doesn’t get you off the hook.
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Correct, but the size difference of the hook can be so dramatic that you can't just hand wave it away.

The trainer who trained the lion to kill will probably be in jail for life. The one who happened to oversee a lion that went rouge would probably be given probation or something else that is a slap on the wrist.

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Except liability always precedes intent.
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