Statue of SF tiger dedicated on one-year anniversary of attack

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/BCN) — A statue of the tiger who escaped her cage from the San Francisco Zoo and killed a San Jose teenager was dedicated Thursday on the one-year anniversary of her escape.

On the Greenwich Steps of San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill, a small group of people gathered to view the statue of Tatiana the tiger that stands gazing out over the trees and into the San Francisco Bay.

Jon Engdahl, an artists and sculptor from San Francisco, is an animal lover. He says that he made the statue to honor the memory of her life.

“My aim is to strictly remember Tatiana and remember a life cut short of this magnificent animal… the most beautiful of the animal kingdom,” said Engdahl.

ListenKCBS’ Tim Ryan reports

Earlier this week, the family of the San Jose teen that was fatally mauled Tatiana filed a civil lawsuit against the zoo.

Marilza and Carlos Sousa filed a wrongful death suit in state court today, claiming the tiger enclosure was lower than the recommended national standard. They also claimed in the suit that officials ignored warnings by zoo employees who believed the wall was not tall enough.

Their son, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., was killed last Christmas when a Siberian tiger escaped its enclosure. The tiger also attacked two brothers, Kulbir and Amritpal Dhaliwal, who survived. They filed a similar lawsuit last month.

The zoo was closed this year on Christmas Day in remembrance of the tragedy.

http://www.kcbs.com/Statue-of-Tiger-Dedicated-One-Year-After-Attack/3557045

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