Posted on 01/17/2008 7:08:12 PM PST by yorkie
One of the two survivors of the San Francisco Zoo tiger attack that left a 17-year-old fatally mauled told the victim's father that the three had yelled and waved at the animal while standing atop the railing of the tiger's enclosure, police said in court documents filed Thursday.
Paul Dhaliwal, 19, denied throwing anything into the enclosure or otherwise antagonizing the animal, according to an account contained in police investigators' request for a search warrant in connection with the Christmas Day attack that killed Carlos Sousa Jr. of San Jose.
Police armed with the warrant and seeking evidence that the men had taunted the tiger searched the 2002 BMW belonging to Dhaliwal's 23-year-old brother, Kulbir, on Wednesday. They also reviewed the brothers' cell phones for any photos they might have taken before the tiger attacked.
Police said they had recovered messages and images, but apparently nothing incriminating in connection with the tiger attack. Investigators seized a small amount of marijuana as well as a partially filled bottle of Grey Goose vodka from the car, according to the inventory that police submitted from the search.
They also found a kit commonly used to defeat drug testing, which included a vial of unisex synthetic urine, police said. Paul Dhaliwal was on probation stemming from a drunken driving incident and crash that occurred before the attack.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Yuo may want to re-think that. So let me see... would you bring your kids to a zoo, knowing that it’s entirely possible that anything can happen - including a few punks could be there teasing the tigers - hahaha having fun but pushing the limit with poor supervision by the zoo facility - and there are no fail-proof controls in place (to avoid tragedy) so to top it off the result is that it’s entirely possible that the tiger could get free and kill you child? Yea sure, you’d bring your babies there.
And yet they had huge crowds when they reopened after this incident! People bringing their kids to get rid of them, ya think?
yuo-you
I don’t blame the tiger either.
I blame zoo officials who first claimed the wall was 19 feet, then 16 feet, then finally admitted it was only 11.5 feet, which was 4.5 feet below industry recomendations.
“over the wall” is not what he was answering. When he saw the ledge, he made the comment I quoted. I heard him say it myself.
It was 12.5 feet, not 11.5.
67 years without an incident at the SF Zoo. Zoos all over US without an incident of a zoo patron being attacked/killed, ever.
THERE'S NO PROOF OF THAT!!! /hysterical anti-PETA rant
Imagine a redneck and his Rotweiller live next to a school and playground.
I would hope he uses a strong enough chain to keep the dog from injuring others.
I don’t think he would be excused for a fatal attack with an excuse like this: “That chain is strong enough to hold the dog as long as he doesn’t get mad.”
Its called survival taunting any animal until he feals threatned and he will attack if given the chance.
The Zoo accepts the responsibility for protecting not only the visitors but the animals as well.
Stupidity on the kids fault is not a defense in the law of wild they got what they deserved.
Sounds like the only innocent member was the cat that had to be put down. No matter how tame they appear a wild animal is never completely tame.
And what do you propose they get?????? It’s a damned shame they had to shoot that beautiful animal before she could finish the other two little bastards.
The zoo/city/management company will pay millions and millions, regardless of what you or I propose.
And every person who visits the zoo expect the cages to keep the animals in, even if people make noises at the animals.
Zoo employees have reported for 40 years that tigers were jumping the moat at this particular enclosure.
Unless the victims unlocked the tiger’s cage, let something down the wall enabling it to climb out, the zoo is at fault.
Do you really think cages should only be strong enough for “non-enraged” animals?
Let me get this straight. So if I go to Yellowstone Nat’l Park, where the sign says “Welcome to Yellowstone,” encouraging visitors to enter, and get out of my vehicle when there are grizzly bears around, and even though there are signs warning visitors not to feed wildlife or encroach upon them, it is Yellowstone’s fault if a bear kills me while I run up and tease it?
Have you been following the facts in this story?
Of course they acted like punks. But they thought they were safe, as they should have. Sorry but taunting a tiger should just get your a$$ thrown out, not killed.
Yes, I have been following the facts of this story, and have spent most of my life around wild animals which is why I have come to the conclusions that I have. Sure the zookeepers would have thrown then out if they had seen the taunting, just as the park rangers would escort you out of Yellowstone for acting like a dumb ass, but sometimes nature takes care of problems before human intervention can take place.
If there is one ounce of vodka left in a bottle, would that bottle be considered partially full? ;-)
I think these guys did something to the tiger. I have a huge problem with people taunting animals. In zoo’s or in everyday life. To me a zoo is a place you go to admire & observe animals. Never to taunt or be a moron to them. However many think its normal for children/adults to taunt animals. I have a big problem with it. I think the animals need to be protected from such people. If you taunt then you get tossed out of the zoo if I were in charge. However I think for everyone’s protection every zoo better put a video camera on each animal enclosure.
That statement is an allegation in a warrant, it is not proved fact and it is third party.
It does not matter what kind of noises the victims were making. And it does not matter wildly they were waiving their arms.
The enclosure should have kept the tiger inside.
Oh, yeah, I’m sure the dead boy’s father would make that up, seeing as how it even indicts his own son.
It matters that they climbed over the public fence and entered the tiger’s territory to do it.
The third party allegation made by the cop, was that they were standing on top of the fence rail. It is not a proved fact.
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