Escaped tiger kills visitor, mauls two others at SF Zoo

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Article Launched: 12/25/2007 06:47:21 PM PST

A tiger escaped its cage, killed a visitor and mauled two others Tuesday evening at the San Francisco Zoo in a shocking Christmas Day attack about a year after another mauling.

Police shot and killed the tiger outside the zoo’s Terrace Cafe shortly after the park closed to visitors at 5 p.m.

They encountered the tiger mauling a man who was covered in blood, said San Francisco Police Department Sgt. Steve Mannina. When officers tried to intervene, the tiger turned and headed toward them, prompting several officers to fire numerous shots at the tiger.

The dead tiger remained outside the cafe as darkness fell over the zoo. Two others mauled by the tiger were rushed to the hospital with critical injuries.

The zoo, festooned with holiday decorations was silent after the attacks, save for police helicopters and police officers sweeping the grounds for potential additional victims.

“We won’t know until tomorrow whether this was negligence or intentional or how the tiger got out,” Mannina said.

Some zoo employees in the gift shop locked themselves in as they had been instructed in case of emergency, but would not comment further.

According to the zoo’s website, the zoo has two Siberian tigers, Tony and Tatiana, who live in an outdoor enclosure near the Lion House. It also has a female Sumatran tiger, Padang, at the west end of the Lion House. It was not immediately clear which tiger escaped.

The attack occurred about a year after a 350-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana attacked and seriously injured keeper Lori Komejan during a regular afternoon feeding.

The California Division of Occupation Safety and Health later ruled the zoo was responsible for that incident because of poor training and how the cages were set up.

Contact Barbara Feder Ostrov at bfeder@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5064.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_7807288?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1

Tiger Escapes at San Francisco Zoo & Kills

Tiger Escapes Cage in San Francisco Zoo

Last Edited: Tuesday, 25 Dec 2007, 10:14 PM EST

Created: Tuesday, 25 Dec 2007, 9:42 PM EST

A tiger escaped its cage at the San Francisco Zoo on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring two others.

The tiger was shot, San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Lt.

Ken Smith said.

Smith said there were 4 tigers in a caged area of the zoo and one got loose. The tiger made it to the Terrace Cafe, a restaurant in the zoo. It was there the tiger mauled one of the victims. Policed arrived and shot the tiger while it was mauling the victim.

Two people were injured; one is in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital. All 3 victims were visitors to the zoo – not employees. It’s still not clear how the two visitors suffered their injuries.

The zoo, which had been scheduled to close at 5 p.m. PST, was evacuated.

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

Police officers and firefighters are continuing their investigation.

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.

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5314560&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

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. Police, fire and zoo officials could not immediately provide details on the attacks to The Associated Press.

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

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4050798

SAN FRANCISCO — One person was killed and two others critically injured Sunday night after a tiger broke loose from its cage and went on a rampage inside a cafe at the San Francisco Zoo.

Authorities said they got a 911 call at 5:17 p.m. reporting that at least one tiger had broken loose from its cage and was prowling the grounds. Heavily armed police officers confronted the tiger inside the Terrace Cafe, killing it as it attacked a man. Three other tigers were found on the grounds and returned to their cages.

San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Ken Smith said at least one man had been killed. A critically injured man who had been mauled in the face was treated by emergency workers inside the cafe. Another iman — apparently the brother of the other injured man — was also being treated at San Francisco General Hospital.

The zoo had been open until 5 p.m. for an event at the park’s skating rink called the “Reindeer Romp.”

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.

http://www.ktvu.com/news/14922301/detail.html

25 December 2007

One person was killed and two others injured when a tiger escaped from its cage at the San Francisco Zoo today, police said.

The animal got out just before zoo closing time at 5 p.m.

It fatally mauled a victim at a zoo cafe, police said.

It is not known how the tiger got loose and there were reports three other animals also got out.

All animals have been accounted for, according to Sgt. Neville Gittens.

The conditions of the other victims are unknown.

Fire, police and zoo officials are at the scene investigating.

Escaped tiger kills visitor, mauls two others at SF Zoo

Tuesday, December 25, 2007