:( Tiger Kills One At San Francisco Zoo
Animal Shot After Escaping Cage And Killing One Visitor, Injuring Two Others
Comments 5
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 25, 2007

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A zoo visitor watches Tatiana, a Siberian tiger, in this Sept. 7, 2007, in San Francisco. (AP)



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(AP) A tiger escaped from its cage at the San Francisco Zoo on Tuesday, killing one visitor and injuring two others, a newspaper reported.

The tiger was shot and killed, San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Lt. Ken Smith told the San Francisco Chronicle. It was not immediately clear how the tiger escaped.

The attack happened in a cafe at the east end of the zoo shortly after the 5 p.m. closing time, the Chronicle reported. The tiger cages are near the center of the zoo.

The zoo was evacuated.

Police officers and firefighters are investigating.

Officials at first worried that four tigers had escaped, but only one escaped its pen, Smith said.

Last December, one of the zoo's tigers mauled a zookeeper during a regular public feeding. The 350-pound animal reached through the cage's iron bars and badly lacerated her arm. The zoo's Lion House was temporarily closed during an investigation.


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You are right matvei1107....We should not be shocked by this news? All Zoo''s

What injuries killed the one person? Who killed the tiger?

Ugh, just saw that on the news. :( How horrible. :crying:

^ The police were the ones who shot the tiger.

That poor tiger was using instinct....why kill it? They should'nt have them caged anyway!! What take away their freedom, then when they escape kill them??....
Sorry for the person that died, but this wasn't the tiger's fault it was us, we shouldn't have them locked up in the first place!
If you had been locked away in a closed enviroment for years or whatever what would you do if you finally broke free??

Considering tigers, especially Siberian tigers, are endangered, this is disgusting that they had to KILL a poor animal whose numbers are declining. I thought zoos were in the business of protecting endangered animals.

These guys should have used a tranquilizer gun at least. "But he was a threat to humans!!" Well, humans are a threat to tigers, apparently. Of course he's a threat to humans, that's why it's in a CAGE or fenced enclosure.

This is just a sad story for all parties involved. What a shame. :(

How horrible, especially that this happened on Christmas!!! :(

How horrible, especially that this happened on Christmas!!! :(


Agreed. Poor people - poor tiger. There shouldn't have been a need to kill it. Tranquilize only and then relocate. Apparently there had been an earlier attack on a zoo keeper. Haven't seen it's enclosure, but I'll bet it was one of those small enclosures that aren't properly suited (although it was the SF Zoo, you'd think it would be world class).

Just a really sad story. :(

Considering tigers, especially Siberian tigers, are endangered, this is disgusting that they had to KILL a poor animal whose numbers are declining. I thought zoos were in the business of protecting endangered animals.

These guys should have used a tranquilizer gun at least. "But he was a threat to humans!!" Well, humans are a threat to tigers, apparently. Of course he's a threat to humans, that's why it's in a CAGE or fenced enclosure.

tigers can be dangerous creatures towards humans, but if one is attacking another person, shouldn't it be shot with a tranqulizer gun, instead of a real one? also, the fact that the tiger escaped, how the hell did that happen? how can some idiot stupidly let the animal out of its cage. WTF did he/she do that? :mad:

Please do not slam the police for this. Their lives and other people's lives
were threatened by the tiger and they reacted in the only way they could.

Please do not slam the police for this. Their lives and other people's lives
were threatened by the tiger and they reacted in the only way they could.

but surely they could've shot it with a tranqilizer gun or used a stun gun on the tiger- that way, the animal would be unconscious but not neccessarily dead

but surely they could've shot it with a tranqilizer gun or used a stun gun on the tiger- that way, the animal would be unconscious but not neccessarily dead

I believe tranquilizers take a little while, if even several seconds, to set in. Which coincidentally, is all the time the tiger would need to kill another human.

That poor tiger was using instinct....why kill it?
That's right!!!

I don't even really feel too sorry for the person that tiger killed. Reports indicate that the humans were taunting the tiger. That poor tiger was just minding her own business in her cage...then she decided to target those creeps, escape, and kill. She did nothing wrong! It's a shame for the tiger! Not the humans...

but surely they could've shot it with a tranqilizer gun or used a stun gun on the tiger- that way, the animal would be unconscious but not neccessarily dead


Apparently, this tiger had attacked a zoo keeper before. It was time to say 'Hasta La Vista'.

That's right!!!

I don't even really feel too sorry for the person that tiger killed. Reports indicate that the humans were taunting the tiger. That poor tiger was just minding her own business in her cage...then she decided to target those creeps, escape, and kill. She did nothing wrong! It's a shame for the tiger! Not the humans...

and so now we read that the tiger was provoked eh?

Apparently, this tiger had attacked a zoo keeper before. It was time to say 'Hasta La Vista'.


No - more like time to relocate it to a better zoo. If animals are kept in habitats that are built to mirror their natural state, are kept healthy and fed properly and are not teased they do not attack unless they have "rage" (basically it's a state of madness). That wasn't the case with this.

However, whoever said that there wasn't time for the use of a tranquilizer could be correct - apparently he was still attacking someone when they approached so they probably were hoping to save the person (but they were already dead).

and so now we read that the tiger was provoked eh?
She sure was....she was being taunted....those humans should have known better...a caged animal is unpredictable.

This reminded me of the polar who bit a womens foot.
Binky (1974–1995) was a polar bear who lived at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, Alaska, and was famous for mauling zoo visitors.

He was found orphaned on the coast of the Beaufort Sea in 1974 and was taken to the Alaska Zoo the next year.[1]

In July 1994, an Australian tourist, Kathryn Warburton [1] climbed over the second of two safety rails to get a close-up photograph and was bitten as the bear stuck his head through the bars and grabbed her;[1][2][3] she suffered a broken leg and bite wounds.[3] Another tourist caught the event on tape.[3] Binky kept the woman's shoe for three days before it could be retrieved by zoo officials,[1] and the day after the attack a news photographer took the iconic image of Binky with a shoe in his mouth that was printed in almost every press account of the incident.[2]

The next event, six weeks later, involved drunken local teenagers who apparently hoped to swim in Binky's pool.[4] One nineteen-year-old was hospitalized with leg lacerations after he got too close to the polar bear's cage and was mauled.[4]

After these attacks, Binky became a hero in Anchorage.[2][5][6] Merchandise including t-shirts, mugs, and bumper stickers, often adorned with the iconic shoe photo[2] or with the slogan "Send another tourist, this one got away,"[1][6] were popular. Local letters to the editor supported Binky during both incidents, most often arguing that polar bears' dangerousness should be respected.[2] The Zoo's director, Sammye Seawell, criticized the Australian tourist's actions in the Anchorage Daily News, saying "[s]he violated the rules and jeopardized the bear's life."[3]

Though Seawell initially insisted that the attack would not change how the zoo is run,[3] security around Binky's cage was upgraded to keep zoo visitors out.[7]

Binky and cage-mate Nuka died in 1995 of a fungal/bacterial infection to their paws only a few days apart from each other.[1]


[edit] See also
List of historical bears
Bear danger

[edit] References
^ a b c d e "Binky and Nuka Memorial." Alaskazoo.org (retrieved Apr. 3, 2007).
^ a b c d e Partnow, Patricia H. "Ursine urges and urban ungulates: Anchorage asserts its Alaskanness." Western Folklore (Winter 1999)

Exactly why animals of this nature shouldn't be caged in "cages", but rather in compounds that simulate their natural habitats. Also, there should be several yards between the viewing public and the animal. Even then stupid "accidents" have happened where jerks have jumped the retaining wall/moat - whatever.

Bottom line to me, never really the animal's fault. As long as we keep them in captivity, things like this will happen.

Was Zoo Tiger Set Free by Someone?

(http://news.aol.com/nation)
SAN FRANCISCO (Dec. 26) - The big cat exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo was cordoned off as a crime scene Wednesday as investigators tried to determine whether a 300-pound Siberian tiger that killed a visitor escaped from its high-walled pen on its own or got help from someone, inadvertent or otherwise.

Police shot the animal to death after a Christmas Day rampage that began when the tiger escaped from an enclosure surrounded by what zoo officials said are an 18-foot wall and a 20-foot moat. Two other visitors were severely mauled.

Police Chief Heather Fong said the department has opened a criminal investigation to "determine if there was human involvement in the tiger getting out or if the tiger was able to get out on its own."

Police said they have not ruled anything out, including whether the escape was the result of carelessness or a deliberate act.

Fong said officers were gathering evidence from the tiger's enclosure as well as accounts from witnesses and others.

One zoo official insisted the tiger did not get out through an open door and must have climbed or leaped out. But Jack Hanna, former director of the Columbus Zoo and a frequent guest on TV, said such a leap would be an unbelievable feat, and "virtually impossible."

"There's something going on here. It just doesn't feel right to me," he said. "It just doesn't add up to me."

Instead, he speculated that visitors might have been fooling around and might have taunted the animal and perhaps even helped it get out by, say, putting a board in the moat.

Similarly, Ron Magill, a spokesman at the Miami Metro Zoo, said it is unlikely a zoo tiger could make such a leap, even with a running start.

"Captive tigers aren't nearly in the kind of shape that wild tigers have to be in to survive," he said. He said taunting can definitely make an animal more aggressive, but "whether it makes it more likely to get out of an exhibit is purely speculative."

The police chief would not comment on whether the animal was taunted.

The same tiger, a 4-year-old female named Tatiana, ripped the flesh off a zookeeper's arm just before Christmas a year ago while the woman was feeding the animal through the bars. A state investigation faulted the zoo, which installed better equipment at the Lion House, where the big cats are kept.

Zoo director Manual Mollinedo said Wednesday that he gave no thought to destroying Tatiana after the 2006 incident, because "the tiger was acting as a normal tiger does." As for whether Tatiana showed any warning signs before Tuesday's attack, Mollinedo said: "She seemed to be very well-adjusted into that exhibit."

It was unclear how long the tiger had been loose before it was killed. The three visitors were attacked around closing time Tuesday on the 125-acre zoo grounds. Four officers hunted down and shot the animal after police got a 911 call from a zoo employee.

The zoo has a response team that can shoot animals. But zoo officials and police described the initial moments after the escape as chaotic.

The dead visitor was identified as 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. of San Jose.

The two injured men, ages 19 and 23, were upgraded to stable condition at San Francisco General Hospital after surgery. They suffered deep bites and claw wounds on their heads, necks, arms and hands, said Dr. Rochelle Dicker, a surgeon. She said they were expected to make a full recovery.

The zoo's director of animal care and conservation, Robert Jenkins, said the tiger did not leave through an open door. "The animal appears to have climbed or otherwise leaped out of the enclosure," he said. But the zoo's director admitted, "We're still not too clear as to exactly what transpired."

Hanna predicted other U.S. zoos would reassess their tiger enclosures if it turns out the tiger was able to leap out. He said he never before heard of a zoo visitor being killed by an animal.

"It's much safer going to a zoo than getting in your car and going down the driveway," he said.

Hanna said that since zoo tigers are well fed, it is unlikely the animal was looking for food when it got out. "Were they taunting the animal?" he said. "Were they throwing things that were making it angry?"

The first attack happened right outside the tiger's enclosure — the victim died at the scene. Another was about 300 yards away, in front of the zoo cafe. The police chief said the animal was mauling the man, and when officers yelled at it to stop, it turned toward them and they opened fire.

Only then did they see the third victim, police said.

About 20 visitors were in the zoo when the attacks happened about an hour before the 6 p.m. closing time, officials said. Employees and visitors were told to take shelter when zoo officials learned of the attacks, and some employees locked themselves inside buildings as they had been instructed to do if an animal escaped.

There were five tigers at the zoo — three Sumatrans and two Siberians. Officials initially worried that four of them had gotten loose.

The zoo was closed on Wednesday. Officials said they expected to reopen the place on Thursday, but the big cat exhibit will remain closed "until we get a better understanding of what actually happened," Mollinedo said. He said colleagues from other U.S. zoos will be brought in to help re-evaluate the big cat exhibit.

After last year's attack, the state fined the zoo $18,000. The zoo added customized steel mesh over the bars, built in a feeding chute and increased the distance between the public and the cats.

Tatiana arrived at the zoo from the Denver Zoo a few years ago, with officials hoping she would mate with a male tiger. Siberian tigers are classified as endangered and there are more than 600 of the animals living in captivity worldwide.

U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman Jim Rogers, said his agency is looking into the attack for violations of federal animal-welfare laws.

The San Francisco Zoo is as an accredited member in good standing of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

"Animal escapes at accredited zoos are so very rare and each one is different," association spokesman Steve Feldman said. "But we are always looking for ways to improve safety for our visitors."


Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

Wow - so the compound does sound like the good kind and this still happened. Does sound a little suspicious now doesn't it?

This article clearly states that the officers told the tiger to stop as it was mauling a man
and then the tiger turned toward them. I personally think the SFPD had no choice but to
kill the tiger.

Rest in peace, Carlos Souza, Jr.

This article clearly states that the officers told the tiger to stop as it was mauling a man
and then the tiger turned toward them. I personally think the SFPD had no choice but to
kill the tiger.
"officers told the tiger to stop "


You CAN'T be serious with that line here???? What tiger understands English or even commands (outside of Roy's white tigers maybe! lol)

"officers told the tiger to stop "


You CAN'T be serious with that line here???? What tiger understands English or even commands (outside of Roy's white tigers maybe! lol)

i don't think that the tiger knew what that word meant

i don't think that the tiger knew what that word meant


Correct! Afterall, it was a Siberian Tiger - they should have shouted "Stop!" in Russian.

Attacking Tiger May Have Been Taunted

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Dec. 27) - Police are reportedly investigating whether one or more of the young men mauled by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo may have taunted the animal before its deadly rampage, a possibility the father of one of the victims said Thursday he hoped wasn't true.

"I don't think my son would do something like taunt animals," Carlos Sousa told ABC's "Good Morning America." "It's unbelievable, but only the evidence can prove that. And right now I can't say much."

His son, Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, was one of three men attacked by a Siberian tiger around closing time on Christmas. Police shot the 300-pound animal to death after it killed Sousa and severely mauled two brothers who also were visiting the zoo.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, police found a shoe and blood in an area between the gate and the edge of the animal's 25- to 30-foot-wide moat, prompting the possibility that one of the victims dangled a leg or other body part over the edge of the moat.

Police on Thursday could not confirm the Chronicle's report to The Associated Press.

"I don't think this deserves to happen to anybody - taunting or not taunting," Carlos Sousa told ABC. "Animals should be protected from the people and the people should be protected from the animals."

Police Chief Heather Fong said Wednesday the department opened a criminal investigation to "determine if there was human involvement in the tiger getting out or if the tiger was able to get out on its own."

The zoo was to remain closed Thursday.

One zoo official insisted the tiger did not get out through an open door and must have climbed or leaped out. But Jack Hanna, former director of the Columbus Zoo, said such a leap would be an unbelievable feat and "virtually impossible."

Instead, he speculated that visitors could have been fooling around and might have taunted the animal and perhaps even helped it get out by, say, putting a board in the moat.

Ron Magill, a spokesman at the Miami Metro Zoo, said it was unlikely a zoo tiger could make such a leap, even with a running start.

"Captive tigers aren't nearly in the kind of shape that wild tigers have to be in to survive," he said. He said taunting can definitely make an animal more aggressive, but "whether it makes it more likely to get out of an exhibit is purely speculative."

The same tiger, a 4-year-old female named Tatiana, ripped the flesh off a zookeeper's arm just before Christmas a year ago while the woman was feeding the animal through the bars. A state investigation faulted the zoo, which installed better equipment at the Lion House, where the big cats are kept.

Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo said Wednesday he gave no thought to destroying Tatiana after the 2006 incident, because "the tiger was acting as a normal tiger does." As for whether Tatiana showed any warning signs before Tuesday's attack, Mollinedo said: "She seemed to be very well-adjusted into that exhibit."

It was unclear how long the tiger had been loose before it was killed. The three visitors were attacked around closing time Tuesday on the 125-acre zoo grounds. Four officers hunted down and shot the animal after police got a 911 call from a zoo employee.

The zoo has a response team that can shoot animals. But zoo officials and police described the initial moments after the escape as chaotic.

The first attack happened right outside the tiger's enclosure - Sousa died at the scene. Another was about 300 yards away, in front of the zoo cafe. The police chief said the animal was mauling one of the survivors, and when officers yelled at it to stop, it turned toward them and they opened fire.

Only then did they see the third victim, police said.

The two injured men, 19- and 23-year-old brothers from San Jose, were in stable condition Wednesday at San Francisco General Hospital. They suffered deep bites and claw wounds on their heads, necks, arms and hands, said Dr. Rochelle Dicker, a surgeon. She said they were expected to recover fully.

Sousa's parents told the AP they didn't know why their son went to the zoo Tuesday, but it should have been a fun Christmas Day activity.

"It's not a safe place for kids," said his mother, Marilza Sousa. "People go there to have a good time, not to get killed."

http://www.aolcdn.com/aolnews_photos/03/04/20071227070209990003
Carlos Sousa, 17, here in an undated photo, was killed by a
Siberian tiger while he was visiting the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day.

I feel really sorry for everyone involved. Someone's at fault though. Either the zoo wasn't secure enough or someone provoked the tiger. But I won't blame anyone till some hard evidence comes around.

I feel really sorry for everyone involved. Someone's at fault though. Either the zoo wasn't secure enough or someone provoked the tiger. But I won't blame anyone till some hard evidence comes around.


What is your opinion of the SFPD officers involved in this incident?

Teen Died Trying to Save Man From Tiger

(http://news.aol.com/nation)
SAN FRANCISCO (Dec. 28) -- The last minutes of a 17-year-old boy's life were spent trying to save his friend from a brutal tiger mauling at the San Francisco Zoo, only to have the animal turn on him, police and family members said.

Carlos Sousa Jr. and his friend's brother desperately tried to distract the 350-pound Siberian tiger, but the big cat instead came after Sousa.

"He didn't run. He tried to help his friend, and it was him who ended up getting it the worst," the teen's father, Carlos Sousa Sr., said Thursday after meeting with police.

The heroic portrait of Sousa and a timeline of the dramatic Christmas Day attack emerged as officials revealed that the tiger's escape from its enclosure may have been aided by walls that were well below the height recommended by the accrediting agency for the nation's zoos.

San Francisco Zoo Director Manuel A. Mollinedo acknowledged that the wall around the animal's pen was just 12½ feet high, after previously saying it was 18 feet. According to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, the walls around a tiger exhibit should be at least 16.4 feet high.

Mollinedo said it was becoming increasingly clear the tiger leaped or climbed out, perhaps by grabbing onto a ledge. Investigators have ruled out the theory the tiger escaped through a door behind the exhibit.

"She had to have jumped," he said. "How she was able to jump that high is amazing to me."

Mollinedo said safety inspectors had examined the wall, built in 1940, and never raised any red flags about its size.

"When the AZA came out and inspected our zoo three years ago, they never noted that as a deficiency," he said. "Obviously now that something's happened, we're going to be revisiting the actual height."

The 4-year-old tiger, a female named Tatiana, went on a rampage near closing time Tuesday, killing Sousa and severely injuring the two others before it was shot to death by police.

Brothers Paul Dhaliwal, 19, and Kulbir Dhaliwal, 23, were at San Francisco General Hospital with severe bite and claw wounds. Their names were provided by hospital and law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because the family had not yet given permission to release their names.

Police said Kulbir Dhaliwal was the animal's first victim.

As the tiger clawed and bit him, Sousa and the younger brother yelled in hopes of scaring it off him, police said. The cat then went for Sousa, slashing his neck as the brothers ran to a zoo cafe for help.

After killing the teenager, the tiger followed a trail of blood left by Kulbir Dhaliwal about 300 yards to the cafe, where it mauled both men, police said.

Four officers who had already discovered Sousa's body then arrived and found the cat sitting next to one of the bloodied brothers, police Chief Heather Fong said. The victim yelled, "Help me! Help me!" and the animal resumed its attack, Fong said.

The officers used their patrol car lights to distract the tiger, and it turned and began approaching them, leading all four to open fire, killing the animal, she said.

Police are still investigating how Tatiana was able to leave the enclosure.

At least one expert said the wall was low enough for the tiger to leap to the top.

Zoo officials said a "moat" separating the habitat from the public viewing area that measured 33 feet across contained no water, and has never had any. They did not address whether that affected the tiger's ability to get out.

"I think it could be feasible for a cat that has been taunted or angered," Jack Hanna, former director of the Columbus Zoo, said Thursday. "I don't think it would ever just do it to do it."

Police have not addressed whether the victims had teased the tiger.

On Thursday, Fong denied earlier reports that police were looking into the possibility that the victims had dangled a leg or other body part over the edge of the moat, after a shoe and blood was found inside the enclosure. No shoe was found inside, but a shoeprint was found on the railing of the fence surrounding the enclosure, and police are checking it against the shoes of the three victims, she said.

AZA spokesman Steven Feldman said the minimum recommended height of 16.4 feet is just a guideline and that a zoo could still be deemed safe even if its wall were lower.

Accreditation standards require "that the barriers be adequate to keep the animals and people apart from each other," Feldman said. "Obviously something happened to cause that not to be the case in this incident."

Many other U.S. zoos have significantly higher walls around their tigers.

Mollinedo said surveillance cameras and new fencing will be installed around the exhibit. The zoo was to remain closed Friday.

Associated Press writer Lisa Leff contributed to this report.

"officers told the tiger to stop "


You CAN'T be serious with that line here???? What tiger understands English or even commands (outside of Roy's white tigers maybe! lol)
My sentiments exactly!! :confused:

"officers told the tiger to stop "


You CAN'T be serious with that line here???? What tiger understands English or even commands (outside of Roy's white tigers maybe! lol)
:rofl: You said it Cathy. :lol:


SFPD did what they had to do. They aren't prepared to deal with caged tigers escaping from their pens/cages, especially from a zoo. If I had a gun and I was there, I would have done the same thing to save lives. Lives come first. Now, if there had been some sort of security on site prepared to deal with an animal escape or something related, then I can see them having the tranquilizer guns ready as well as shotguns.

SFPD did what they had to do. They aren't prepared to deal with caged tigers escaping from their pens/cages, especially from a zoo. If I had a gun and I was there, I would have done the same thing to save lives. Lives come first. Now, if there had been some sort of security on site prepared to deal with an animal escape or something related, then I can see them having the tranquilizer guns ready as well as shotguns.
That's just how I feel. As speculation slows down, and more facts emerge in this tragic event, it seems that the zoo was negligent. It takes a while to gather information from witnesses and to process the scene. It's so sad all around, and that includes the tiger.

That's just how I feel. As speculation slows down, and more facts emerge in this tragic event, it seems that the zoo was negligent. It takes a while to gather information from witnesses and to process the scene. It's so sad all around, and that includes the tiger.
Back in 2005 we had in our county a tiger roaming the hills for almost two weeks before it was shot dead. The animal groups came out in droves screaming why was the tiger shot instead of tranquilized, especially since the tiger had been loose for over ten days and there was ample time to get specialists for this situation (which there was). The factor in deciding to kill the tiger (who escaped from a sanctuary and was not reported by his owner :mad: who was later jailed for this) was simple: the tiger began to roam near a soccer field where there were children playing and also nearby was a school in session. Officers of the fish and game felt the tranquilizer would take too long to work and therefore, cause the tiger to run for some distance before the tranquilizer could do its job.

It is obvious in the SF Zoo case, there were people around since the zoo was still open, therefore, the lives of people were at stake since the tiger had already mauled one to death and two were injured. How many more people had to be attacked and/or killed? Would tranquilizing the tiger and watching it go after a few more people have satisfied those who abhor the fact that it was shot?

It is sad all around indeed. :(

It is obvious in the SF Zoo case, there were people around since the zoo was still open, therefore, the lives of people were at stake since the tiger had already mauled one to death and two were injured. How many more people had to be attacked and/or killed? Would tranquilizing the tiger and watching it go after a few more people have satisfied those who abhor the fact that it was shot?

It is sad all around indeed. :(

Yah, as the story has unfolded there definitely wasn't time for a tranq gun (unfortunately) and it's looking like the zoo is gonna be liable. I can hear the sound of a cash register already going wild. They'll be a "quiet settlement" I'm sure. I just hope they take immediate measure to secure that compound. Even if it's "overkill" just in case. Too bad there wasn't security cameras around - they might have been able to find out definitely whether the tiger jumped out or not (today I'm hearing the wall was lower than what it's supposed to be).

Well the wall was at a height that seemed acceptable to those who visit and regulate things like that in zoos. In the article posted by Janice above it clearly states that on three previous inspections NO ONE stated the wall was not high enough. According to the article, the Association for Aquariums and Zoos inspectors raised no objections to the wall's height. I am not saying there won't be some sort of $$$ payout to the victims. I am shocked there are not security cameras to begin with. With the possibility of people climbing over railings, fences, etc. I would think they would have those at all zoos for the safety of the patrons and of course, the animals. I have seen people at zoos throw stuff at animals and think that it is funny. :rolleyes:

What is your opinion of the SFPD officers involved in this incident?

Good question. I think they were only doing what they were supposed to do, but it's still sad that everything happened the way it did. I mean, what are the chances of ever getting attacked by a tiger at the zoo? People don't think about those things often. I think shooting it was the only way to go. Sad but true.

Well the wall was at a height that seemed acceptable to those who visit and regulate things like that in zoos. In the article posted by Janice above it clearly states that on three previous inspections NO ONE stated the wall was not high enough. According to the article, the Association for Aquariums and Zoos inspectors raised no objections to the wall's height. I am not saying there won't be some sort of $$$ payout to the victims. I am shocked there are not security cameras to begin with. With the possibility of people climbing over railings, fences, etc. I would think they would have those at all zoos for the safety of the patrons and of course, the animals. I have seen people at zoos throw stuff at animals and think that it is funny. :rolleyes:


I'm going by an article I saw on Yahoo and then they had the same blurb on the news. Nuts, didn't get back on last night so I could paste it. I'll try to find it. From the pics I've seen, it looked like the standard heights I've seen at zoos. Something about it having to be at least 12 1/2 feet high and it was a BIT lower than that. 'Course, I could be hitting the Bailey's Irish Cream a little heavy this week too. ;)

I just heard that they are going to open up The Zoo will open Next Thursday on MSNBC

I'm going by an article I saw on Yahoo and then they had the same blurb on the news. Nuts, didn't get back on last night so I could paste it. I'll try to find it. From the pics I've seen, it looked like the standard heights I've seen at zoos. Something about it having to be at least 12 1/2 feet high and it was a BIT lower than that. 'Course, I could be hitting the Bailey's Irish Cream a little heavy this week too. ;)
:lol: Holiday time, you are entitled to a little Bailey's and anything else you like. ;)


Watching Nancy Grace last night, it was stated the two survivors of the attack are NOT cooperating with the police and officials. The father of the dead boy also stated that one of the boys had "lied to him" but I wasn't sure what it was he was referring to. It seems the two survivors who were victims of this attack are not being forthright with information and that the zoo director is being 100% cooperative and even stated he feels the zoo is in need of many changes and so forth. You would think the zoo official would be the one to be tight-lipped, instead you have these two boys who seem to have something to hide. Which I don't think they need to do since no one anticipates a tiger jumping over a railing, even if you taunt it.

:lol: Holiday time, you are entitled to a little Bailey's and anything else you like. ;)


Watching Nancy Grace last night, it was stated the two survivors of the attack are NOT cooperating with the police and officials. The father of the dead boy also stated that one of the boys had "lied to him" but I wasn't sure what it was he was referring to. It seems the two survivors who were victims of this attack are not being forthright with information and that the zoo director is being 100% cooperative and even stated he feels the zoo is in need of many changes and so forth. You would think the zoo official would be the one to be tight-lipped, instead you have these two boys who seem to have something to hide. Which I don't think they need to do since no one anticipates a tiger jumping over a railing, even if you taunt it.

Hmmmm - see - that seems really odd - like they DO have something they're hiding. Could be they were throwing sticks or rocks or something over the wall, etc.. Sure, you don't expect that the tiger could jump, but still, it's cruel, childish and just plain mean. You know my love of animals. I hate seeing them caged in zoos, unless they're kept in huge enclosures that simulate their natural habitats as much as possible. I believe some of these large zoos do good with breeding programs and educating the public. Still, it's sad that these animals are trapped in a space and you still get people that just "don't get it" and have to tease or taunt them. No matter what, they're wild animals and highly unpredictable. If it turns out that these kids were doing something like that, then I have very little sympathy for any of them. Hopefully the full story and truth will come out eventually.

Hmmmm - see - that seems really odd - like they DO have something they're hiding. Could be they were throwing sticks or rocks or something over the wall, etc.. Sure, you don't expect that the tiger could jump, but still, it's cruel, childish and just plain mean. You know my love of animals. I hate seeing them caged in zoos, unless they're kept in huge enclosures that simulate their natural habitats as much as possible. I believe some of these large zoos do good with breeding programs and educating the public. Still, it's sad that these animals are trapped in a space and you still get people that just "don't get it" and have to tease or taunt them. No matter what, they're wild animals and highly unpredictable. If it turns out that these kids were doing something like that, then I have very little sympathy for any of them. Hopefully the full story and truth will come out eventually.
I am sure the story will eventually come out. It will have to, if the parents of the dead boy sue. By then, those two other boys will have no choice but to speak abt what happened. They must realize that whatever their actions, doesn't mean they deserved to have that happen to them.