Tiger escapes cage in San Francisco Zoo, kills one

AP ^ | December 25, 2007

[Shermy]

SAN FRANCISCO - A tiger escaped its cage at the San Francisco Zoo on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring two others, a newspaper reported.

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

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

It was unclear whether the victim was a visitor or a zoo worker.

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.

[BuffaloJack]

I can’t believe that after the tiger killed one and maimed two others that officials would wait until morning to sweep the grounds and look for any other victims. Don’t they own flashlights? Someone severely injured could bleed out overnight.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That’s just mean...but awfully funny, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Anyone remember Samson the Gorilla at the Milwaukee, WI Zoo? He was famous world-wide, and quite the smart-ass.

He’d act all bored and keep his back to the crowd, looking over his shoulder from time to time until people would group up to see what he was doing.

Then, he’d whip around, run full-bore at the glass and smack it with his hands as hard as he could. It was his way of “entertaining” himself as people scattered, screaming their fool heads off, LOL!

I don’t like zoos all that much. I’m not one to romanticize animals and I understand the conservation point of them, but still. Is the world really running out of Ring Tailed Lemurs?

[quark]

I always wanted to eat Virginia McKenna...

[quark]

Free Ken Allen!

Ken Allen was the name given to a Bornean orangutan at the San Diego Zoo. He became one of the most popular animals in the history of the zoo because of his many successful escapes from his enclosures.

Ken Allen was born in captivity at the San Diego Zoo in 1971. During the 1980s, he gained worldwide attention for a series of three escapes from his enclosure, which had been thought to be escape-proof. During his escapes, Ken Allen would peacefully stroll around the zoo looking at other animals, and never acted violently or aggressively towards zoo patrons or other animals.

Zookeepers were initially stymied over how Ken Allen had managed to escape. They began surveillance of his enclosure to try to catch him in the act, only to find that he seemed to be aware that he was being watched for that very purpose. This forced zookeepers to go "undercover," posing as tourists to learn Ken Allen's escape route, but he wasn't fooled. Moreover, other orangutans began following Ken Allen's lead and began escaping from the enclosure.

Zoo officials eventually hired experienced rock climbers to find every finger, toe, and foothold within the enclosure and spent $40,000.00 to eliminate them. Ken Allen's ability to outwit his keepers, as well as his docile demeanor during his escapes, resulted in fame and adoration from zoo patrons, and numerous fan clubs, bumper stickers, and songs were created as a tribute to the wily orangutan.

Ken Allen developed cancer and was euthanized in December 2000. He was 29 years old.

[mware]

They just announced they are doing a further search of the zoo. They think there may be more victims.

[RetiredArmy]

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ― The San Francisco Police Department confirmed that a tiger escaped its confinement at the San Francisco Zoo,then attacked and killed a visitor. Two others were injured by the tiger that entered the Terrace Cafe inside the zoo at 5:15 p.m. The injured were taken to SF General Hospital. The escaped tiger was shot and killed. The zoo has been evacuated. It was open in spite of the holiday, and scheduled to close at 5:00 pm. It's unclear whether the victim was a visitor or a zoo worker.

It is CLEAR to me that SAID WRITER is an idiot, because he cannot make sense in his own sentence.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks!

Samson was a different type of gorilla...the big “King Kong” type; I’m not up on my ape breeds. ;)

He lived a long time, too. We visited him a lot when I was a kid. It was a cheap way to spend a day for me, Mom, Sis and a station wagon full of cousins.

[mware]

I wonder if the PETA people had anything to do with this???

[mdmathis6]

The news just said the remaining 3 tigers remained huddled in their enclosure.

[mware]

This same tiger attacked a zookeeper last Dec 23rd during a public feeding event. Chewed on the arm of one of the feeders.

[giotto]

Ha. Actually, they thought that four had escaped, but it turned out to be only the Siberian tiger named Tatiana, the same tiger that reached through the bars and mauled a zoo keeper last year.

[giotto]

I have to wonder why they didn’t put Tatiana down after last year’s assault. A human being is dead because of a zoo official’s poor judgment.

[jetson]

Captive tiger payback time.

[montag813]

How the heck does a Tiger get loose? That would be damn scary.

Lawsuit!

[Jimmy Valentine]

"Tyger tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye,

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry."

[Cuttnhorse]

Good post...I’m with you and filbert