Tiger Escapes Sf Zoo Kills Man

gorillamom · 12-26-2007, 09:56 AM

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In this video image taken from KGO television, paramedics arrive at San Fran...
By LOUISE CHU, AP
14 minutes ago
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Zoo was closed to visitors Wednesday as investigators tried to determine how a tiger escaped from its enclosure and attacked three visitors, killing one of the men and mauling two others.

Officials planned to conduct a thorough sweep of the zoo grounds during daylight. They said additional victims were not likely but they were uncertain how long the tiger, a female named Tatiana, had been loose near closing time on Christmas Day before she was killed by police.

Tatiana, a Siberian tiger weighing about 300 pounds, was the same animal that ripped the flesh off a zookeeper's arm just before Christmas 2006.

The three men �� one of them 19 years old and the others in their early 20s �� were attacked just after 5 p.m. Tuesday on the east end of the 125-acre zoo grounds near Ocean Beach, police spokesman Steve Mannina said.

They suffered "pretty aggressive bite marks," Mannina said.

The two injured men were in critical but stable condition Wednesday at San Francisco General Hospital after undergoing surgery to have their wounds cleaned and closed, authorities said. They suffered deep bites and claw cuts on their heads, necks, arms and hands.

The San Francisco medical examiner had not been able to identify the dead man, investigator Tim Hellman said Wednesday. The man did not have any identification and no one had called asking about him, according to Hellman.

The zoo's director of animal care and conservation, Robert Jenkins, could not explain how Tatiana escaped. The tiger's enclosure is surrounded by a 15-foot-wide moat and 20-foot-high walls, and the big cat did not leave through an open door, he said.

"There was no way out through the door," Jenkins said. "The animal appears to have climbed or otherwise leaped out of the enclosure."

The first attack happened right outside the Siberian's enclosure �� the victim died at the scene. A group of four officers came across his body when they entered the dark zoo grounds, Mannina said.

The second victim was about 300 yards away, in front of the Terrace Cafe. The man was sitting on the ground, blood running from gashes in his head and Tatiana sitting next to him.

The cat attacked the man again, Mannina said. The officers approached the tiger with their handguns. Tatiana moved in their direction and several of the officers fired, killing the animal.

Only then did they see the third victim, who had also been mauled.

Although no new visitors were let in after 5 p.m. Tuesday, the grounds had not been not scheduled to close until an hour later, and 20 to 25 people were still in the zoo when the attacks happened, zoo officials said. Employees and visitors were told to take shelter when zoo officials learned of the attacks.

"This is a tragic event for San Francisco," Fire Department spokesman Lt. Ken Smith said. "We pride ourselves in our zoo, and we pride ourselves in tourists coming and looking at our city."

There were five tigers at the zoo �� three Sumatrans and two Siberians. Officials initially worried that four tigers had escaped, but soon learned only Tatiana had escaped, Mannina said.

On Dec. 22, 2006, Tatiana reached through the bars of her cage and grabbed a keeper, biting and mauling one of the woman's arms and causing deep lacerations. The zoo's Lion House was temporarily closed during an investigation.

California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health blamed the zoo for the assault and imposed a $18,000 penalty. A medical claim filed against the city by the keeper was denied.

Last February, a 140-pound jaguar named Jorge killed a zookeeper at the Denver Zoo before being fatally shot. Zoo officials said later that the zookeeper had violated rules by opening the door to the animal's cage.

After last year's attack, the zoo added customized steel mesh over the bars, built in a feeding shoot and increased the distance between the public and the cats.

Tatiana arrived at the San Francisco Zoo from the Denver Zoo a few years ago, with zoo 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.

___

Associated Press writer Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

San Francisco Zoo: http://www.sfzoo.org/

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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gorillamom · 12-26-2007, 10:05 AM

I just heard a reporter say "The Tiger escaped from it's pen!" Well did it occur to antone that it should never have been in a pen in the first place?

jowey · 12-26-2007, 11:12 AM

This zoo Tiger is getting even for the Chinese killing their zoo Tiger......

Zoo Tiger's rise up....

MarkMiller · 12-26-2007, 01:23 PM

News stations are now asking whether big cats should even be on display at Zoos. Much like the trend to discontinue elephant exhibits at zoos. I tend to agree. To me there is nothing worse than to see a lion or tiger pacing back and forth in it's enclosure out of boredom.

I have always been more of a supporter for places like Walt Disney worlds Animal safari that looks like a natural habitat. I would however like to see even more space for those animals and take the emphasis off keeping them in full view of an audience. It means that although it looks like a natural habitat, they still have very limited space. We need to emphasize the comfort of the animal and not displaying it everyday..

SPRINGFIELD · 12-26-2007, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Zaius

News stations are now asking whether big cats should even be on display at Zoos. Much like the trend to discontinue elephant exhibits at zoos. I tend to agree. To me there is nothing worse than to see a lion or tiger pacing back and forth in it's enclosure out of boredom.

I have always been more of a supporter for places like Walt Disney worlds Animal safari that looks like a natural habitat. I would however like to see even more space for those animals and take the emphasis off keeping them in full view of an audience. It means that although it looks like a natural habitat, they still have very limited space. We need to emphasize the comfort of the animal and not displaying it everyday..

Right on. Zoos are depressing. "Look at the worlds most efficient predator pace around aimlessley, kids!" Worse yet are the gorrillas and other great apes. Sitting around, playing with tires and barbells, looking at you through the glass. Sometimes when you look a gorilla or a chimp in the eye, it's chilling. It's almost like they know what's going on, and they aren't happy about it. I'll never forget a big silverback gorilla making eye contact with me at the Omaha zoo, our faces inches apart through the glass. Just stared right into my eyes, through my soul, it seemed. It had a very.......human feeling to it. Kind of scary, really sad. The gorilla eventually smashed his hand into the glass and ran away. Seemed to me out of anger or frusration. I haven't been to a zoo since. No plans to go back to another one.

MarkMiller · 12-26-2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPRINGFIELD

Right on. Zoos are depressing. "Look at the worlds most efficient predator pace around aimlessley, kids!" Worse yet are the gorrillas and other great apes. Sitting around, playing with tires and barbells, looking at you through the glass. Sometimes when you look a gorilla or a chimp in the eye, it's chilling. It's almost like they know what's going on, and they aren't happy about it. I'll never forget a big silverback gorilla making eye contact with me at the Omaha zoo, our faces inches apart through the glass. Just stared right into my eyes, through my soul, it seemed. It had a very.......human feeling to it. Kind of scary, really sad. The gorilla eventually smashed his hand into the glass and ran away. Seemed to me out of anger or frusration. I haven't been to a zoo since. No plans to go back to another one.

I don't exactly dislike zoos.......well some zoos, but not all. I commend Zoos for getting rid of the Elephant compounds, citing that no enclosure is big enough, then sending them to sanctuaries.....but lets be honest.....not all of these sanctuaries are letting these animals live a free life. I just visited one this past summer that makes the elephants carry a breakfast tray to overnight guest that stay in bungalows near the compound. I thought that was sick.

I really wish zoos would change the design as well as the basic concept. I think we need zoos...or at least zoos are worthwhile. I just wish we could treat these animals in a manner befitting our need to see them. In other words....which animals can be caged in a way that is not just humane, but offers some quality of life for the animal.

gorillamom · 12-26-2007, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Zaius

News stations are now asking whether big cats should even be on display at Zoos. Much like the trend to discontinue elephant exhibits at zoos. I tend to agree. To me there is nothing worse than to see a lion or tiger pacing back and forth in it's enclosure out of boredom.

I have always been more of a supporter for places like Walt Disney worlds Animal safari that looks like a natural habitat. I would however like to see even more space for those animals and take the emphasis off keeping them in full view of an audience. It means that although it looks like a natural habitat, they still have very limited space. We need to emphasize the comfort of the animal and not displaying it everyday..

I was working at Woodland Park Zoo when we sent our female Elephant to another zoo to get her pregnant. She was beated, and chained. The USDA fined them and that was it. The baby Hansa died recently. Zoos need to stop breeding and put themselves out of business. They have pleanty of time to come up with new money making ideas. Keepers should be keeper of the wild, not the zoos.

gorillamom · 12-26-2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPRINGFIELD

Right on. Zoos are depressing. "Look at the worlds most efficient predator pace around aimlessley, kids!" Worse yet are the gorrillas and other great apes. Sitting around, playing with tires and barbells, looking at you through the glass. Sometimes when you look a gorilla or a chimp in the eye, it's chilling. It's almost like they know what's going on, and they aren't happy about it. I'll never forget a big silverback gorilla making eye contact with me at the Omaha zoo, our faces inches apart through the glass. Just stared right into my eyes, through my soul, it seemed. It had a very.......human feeling to it. Kind of scary, really sad. The gorilla eventually smashed his hand into the glass and ran away. Seemed to me out of anger or frusration. I haven't been to a zoo since. No plans to go back to another one.

I was a gorilla keeper, you have no idea the lives they are forced to live. I need to post my pictures of what Zoo Atlanta did to my Ivan. So sad. They will never let me see him again.

SPRINGFIELD · 12-26-2007, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gorillamom

I was a gorilla keeper, you have no idea the lives they are forced to live. I need to post my pictures of what Zoo Atlanta did to my Ivan. So sad. They will never let me see him again.

Tell us, if you ever have the time. Because I have always suspected that they are way too smart and human-like to be zoo exhibits or science test mules. I'd like to know some of your thoughts and observations on gorillas. Because like I said in my previous post, looking into his eyes was not your typical human/animal experience. He was self aware, a sentient being that did not want to be where he was. And I'd be interested to hear an expert's opinion on wether or not that perception of mine was true or not.

Lolli · 12-26-2007, 09:04 PM

Nice posts guys. I haven't been to the zoo since I was a kid (probably a school trip) and I have no plans of going back any time soon and this story (and many like it) are the reason why. I don't find them necessary or educational. I think it's exploiting animals and inhumane to deprive them of their freedom and natural instincts.

I really wish they hadn't killed this tiger. Why couldn't have just tranquilize the tiger and put her back in her cage? Why was she killed for doing something that comes naturally to her? Isn't that contradictory and hypocritical of a zoo?

12-26-2007, 09:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
gorillamom Beyond Liberal Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: The Great Pacific Northwest Posts: 2,161 My Mood: Thanks: 47 Thanked 13 Times in 7 Posts	Tiger Escapes Sf Zoo Kills Man AdvertisementTop News 78 Feared Dead in Indonesian Landslides Bush Signs $555 Billion Spending Bill Officials Probe Tiger Attack at Zoo Retailers Look for Post-Holiday Bump Musharraf, Karzai Pledge to Fight Terror Surviving Girl Evacuated in Panama Crash Asia Marks Anniversary of Deadly Tsunami October Home Prices Post Record Decline Rapper Misses Hearing on Gun Charge Wild Oats Leads Fleet Out of Sydney Officials Probe Tiger Attack at Zoo In this video image taken from KGO television, paramedics arrive at San Fran... By LOUISE CHU, AP 14 minutes ago SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Zoo was closed to visitors Wednesday as investigators tried to determine how a tiger escaped from its enclosure and attacked three visitors, killing one of the men and mauling two others. Officials planned to conduct a thorough sweep of the zoo grounds during daylight. They said additional victims were not likely but they were uncertain how long the tiger, a female named Tatiana, had been loose near closing time on Christmas Day before she was killed by police. Tatiana, a Siberian tiger weighing about 300 pounds, was the same animal that ripped the flesh off a zookeeper's arm just before Christmas 2006. The three men �� one of them 19 years old and the others in their early 20s �� were attacked just after 5 p.m. Tuesday on the east end of the 125-acre zoo grounds near Ocean Beach, police spokesman Steve Mannina said. They suffered "pretty aggressive bite marks," Mannina said. The two injured men were in critical but stable condition Wednesday at San Francisco General Hospital after undergoing surgery to have their wounds cleaned and closed, authorities said. They suffered deep bites and claw cuts on their heads, necks, arms and hands. The San Francisco medical examiner had not been able to identify the dead man, investigator Tim Hellman said Wednesday. The man did not have any identification and no one had called asking about him, according to Hellman. The zoo's director of animal care and conservation, Robert Jenkins, could not explain how Tatiana escaped. The tiger's enclosure is surrounded by a 15-foot-wide moat and 20-foot-high walls, and the big cat did not leave through an open door, he said. "There was no way out through the door," Jenkins said. "The animal appears to have climbed or otherwise leaped out of the enclosure." The first attack happened right outside the Siberian's enclosure �� the victim died at the scene. A group of four officers came across his body when they entered the dark zoo grounds, Mannina said. The second victim was about 300 yards away, in front of the Terrace Cafe. The man was sitting on the ground, blood running from gashes in his head and Tatiana sitting next to him. The cat attacked the man again, Mannina said. The officers approached the tiger with their handguns. Tatiana moved in their direction and several of the officers fired, killing the animal. Only then did they see the third victim, who had also been mauled. Although no new visitors were let in after 5 p.m. Tuesday, the grounds had not been not scheduled to close until an hour later, and 20 to 25 people were still in the zoo when the attacks happened, zoo officials said. Employees and visitors were told to take shelter when zoo officials learned of the attacks. "This is a tragic event for San Francisco," Fire Department spokesman Lt. Ken Smith said. "We pride ourselves in our zoo, and we pride ourselves in tourists coming and looking at our city." There were five tigers at the zoo �� three Sumatrans and two Siberians. Officials initially worried that four tigers had escaped, but soon learned only Tatiana had escaped, Mannina said. On Dec. 22, 2006, Tatiana reached through the bars of her cage and grabbed a keeper, biting and mauling one of the woman's arms and causing deep lacerations. The zoo's Lion House was temporarily closed during an investigation. California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health blamed the zoo for the assault and imposed a $18,000 penalty. A medical claim filed against the city by the keeper was denied. Last February, a 140-pound jaguar named Jorge killed a zookeeper at the Denver Zoo before being fatally shot. Zoo officials said later that the zookeeper had violated rules by opening the door to the animal's cage. After last year's attack, the zoo added customized steel mesh over the bars, built in a feeding shoot and increased the distance between the public and the cats. Tatiana arrived at the San Francisco Zoo from the Denver Zoo a few years ago, with zoo 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. ___ Associated Press writer Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles contributed to this report. ___ On the Net: San Francisco Zoo: http://www.sfzoo.org/ Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Discuss Print Digg Del.icio.us Forums: People Are Talking'All I Want for Christmas Is....... Which GOP Candidate Might Get Yo... Real vs. Artificial Christmas Tr... Holiday Road Rage What's on Your Christmas Menu? The Subprime Mortgage Bailout Do You Drive a Gas Guzzler? What's Your New Year's Resolutio... More Hot Topics Latest News VideosTragic Tiger Attack ABCNEWS Business Report (12.26.07) ABCNEWS Officials Investigating Tiger Escape Associated Press FOX News Flash: FOX & Friends Edition FOX News Iraq's Joint Security Stations CBS News More In The News Midwest Snow Storm Va. Tech Families Lobby Iraqi Orphan Adoption Baghdad Bombing Christmas in Bethlehem Did HMO Cause Death? Airborne Internet Patriots Undefeated 'Lost' Star in Jail Katherine Heigl Hitched Best of the Blogs Memeorandum Wonkette Instapundit Gizmodo Daily Kos Huffington Post Gawker National Review Better Humans War Room - Salon.com __________________ The Clock of life is wound but once, And no man has the power, To tell just when the hands will stop On what day or what hour. Now is the only time we have, So live it with a will, Don't wait until tomorrow, The hands may then be still.
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12-26-2007, 10:05 AM	#2 (permalink)
gorillamom Beyond Liberal Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: The Great Pacific Northwest Posts: 2,161 My Mood: Thanks: 47 Thanked 13 Times in 7 Posts	I just heard a reporter say "The Tiger escaped from it's pen!" Well did it occur to antone that it should never have been in a pen in the first place? __________________ The Clock of life is wound but once, And no man has the power, To tell just when the hands will stop On what day or what hour. Now is the only time we have, So live it with a will, Don't wait until tomorrow, The hands may then be still.
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12-26-2007, 11:12 AM	#3 (permalink)
jowey Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,173 Blog Entries: 22 Thanks: 37 Thanked 25 Times in 20 Posts	This zoo Tiger is getting even for the Chinese killing their zoo Tiger...... Zoo Tiger's rise up.... __________________ A long standing member of the "Moronic Order of Singularity" O homines ad servitutem paratos...Emperor Tiberius Sun Tzu on the Art of War - the oldest military treatise in the world (6th century BC) Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.
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12-26-2007, 01:23 PM	#4 (permalink)
MarkMiller McCain Supporter Archery 2000 Champion! Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 4,346 Thanks: 74 Thanked 47 Times in 37 Posts	News stations are now asking whether big cats should even be on display at Zoos. Much like the trend to discontinue elephant exhibits at zoos. I tend to agree. To me there is nothing worse than to see a lion or tiger pacing back and forth in it's enclosure out of boredom. I have always been more of a supporter for places like Walt Disney worlds Animal safari that looks like a natural habitat. I would however like to see even more space for those animals and take the emphasis off keeping them in full view of an audience. It means that although it looks like a natural habitat, they still have very limited space. We need to emphasize the comfort of the animal and not displaying it everyday.. __________________ "The ram has touched the wall.....no mercy!" Mark Antony, (James Purefoy) *HBO's "Rome"*
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12-26-2007, 09:04 PM	#10 (permalink)
Lolli Resident Fruit Cake Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Fruit Cake City Posts: 1,247 Thanks: 71 Thanked 47 Times in 27 Posts	Nice posts guys. I haven't been to the zoo since I was a kid (probably a school trip) and I have no plans of going back any time soon and this story (and many like it) are the reason why. I don't find them necessary or educational. I think it's exploiting animals and inhumane to deprive them of their freedom and natural instincts. I really wish they hadn't killed this tiger. Why couldn't have just tranquilize the tiger and put her back in her cage? Why was she killed for doing something that comes naturally to her? Isn't that contradictory and hypocritical of a zoo?
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