Posted on 12/27/2007 10:18:04 AM PST by wardaddy
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The big cat exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo was cordoned off as a crime scene Wednesday as investigators tried to determine whether a Siberian tiger that killed a visitor escaped from its high-walled pen on its own or got help from someone, inadvertent or otherwise.
Police shot the 300-pound animal to death after a Christmas Day rampage that began when the tiger escaped from an enclosure surrounded by what zoo officials said are an 18-foot wall and a 20-foot moat. Two brothers who also were visiting the zoo were severely mauled.
Police Chief Heather Fong said the department has opened a criminal investigation to "determine if there was human involvement in the tiger getting out or if the tiger was able to get out on its own."
Police said they have not ruled anything out, including whether the escape was the result of carelessness or a deliberate act.
(AP) Tatiana, a female Siberian tiger that killed one person and injured two others, is seen in the lion... Full Image
Fong said officers were gathering evidence from the tiger's enclosure as well as accounts from witnesses and others.
One zoo official insisted the tiger did not get out through an open door and must have climbed or leaped out. But Jack Hanna, former director of the Columbus Zoo and a frequent guest on TV, said such a leap would be an unbelievable feat, and "virtually impossible."
"There's something going on here. It just doesn't feel right to me," he said. "It just doesn't add up to me."
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
Interesting theories here. My bet is on the Jack@ss angle.
Years ago, at a mall in Spokane, Washington, I got to hold a cute little Siberian tiger cub and have my picture taken, with it’s mother, large and beautiful, in a cage nearby. As I was sitting there holding the cub I thought of the beautiful large and fearsome animal it would grow up to be, as it sat docile on my lap.
I feel sorry for the kid’s parents. I wish the officers didn’t have to shoot the animal, but I understand completely why they did. It will be interesting to get the real story of what happened.
“... Fire Department source said three paramedics found Sousa’s body Tuesday, with a wide gash across the neck, lying near the grotto. The enclosure is separated from the public by a 25- to 30-foot-wide moat - a trench that is 14 feet deep...”
I heard the father interviewed this morning. He said that even if they were taunting the tiger, the zoo had the responsibility of keeping it from escaping, no matter what.
My take...the three boys had a “ritual” they convinced one they will hold him by the hands down in the moat to “lure” the cat out...so they can taunt...so we can imagine that 3 boys are between the fence and the moat and one is dangling by his arms in the moat...tiger jumps out...now has a human “scartching post” the two holding the third have an adenelin rush and essentially hold the mauled kid and tiger in place to allow the tiger to continue up and out of the moat...tiger continues to chew on and kill the first boy...two other boys are covered in blood...tiger doesn’t RELY on memory of who “taunted” him...but on scent of the first boys blood on them heading to the cafe. The other 2 run for their lives and the tiger follows the scent. Real simple to me.
The inadvertant escape was that 2 boys dangled the idiot in the cage/moat and the tiger leapt up and climbed out on a human scratching post.
I just read that they found a board in the moat....to help the tiger cross it?
Apparently the zoo tranqs are locked up somewhere and the cops needed to take immediate action so hence the lead-ammo.
And I also read that law enforcement doesn’t carry tranqs.
The tiger was in the moat. The board might have been placed against the wall of the moat at an angle allowing the tiger to climb up and get out. Where did you read this?
Ya sure does seem they were messing with the critter.
The autopsy of the kid will hopefully tell us much.
Probably will show he has kitty claw marks up his legs or something.
His homies oughta do jail time if they helped him get killed.
The zoo does have to keep the public safe but since zoo keepers don’t hink like
The zoo had tranquilizer guns: FACT
The SFPD commandeered the trank guns: FACT
Trank guns are nonlethal: FACT
The SFPD used said guns on the tiger: Reasonable Speculation
The tiger is dead: FACT
The cops shot the tiger with something more then a tranquilizer: Reasonable Speculation
Maybe the trank brought the cat down but did not totally disable it since the dosage is dependent on the target animal's body mass and the cops using the weapon were not trained in it's effective use. A groggy cat being only slightly less dangerous then a fully alert one, our brave man in blue mercifully dispatched the still dangerous animal, preventing further carnage.
Better?
Regards,
GtG
PS I still think the tiger got the bum deal in all this.
PPS FYI the tranquilizer used by vets is usually a derivative of nicotine alkaloid. A dose that will put a 120 pound white-tailed deer to peaceful slumber will kill an adult human.
According to the pictures, most of the moat is a dry trench. I should probably have said the water at the bottom.
The top of the inner wall appears to be at the same level as the habitat, or close to it, which would make sense if visitors are going to be able to see the animals.
A tiger can easily leap down 14 feet or so from the habitat into the trench. The hard part is getting up the 20 foot outside wall of the trench/moat. It had to have help to do that and it seems more and more likely that Carlos and his friends provided it.
Yea they were going to put it on U Tube...
Well, either that or tigers have no shame...
“...It’s not known why the tiger singled out the three visitors or why she tracked down the two wounded victims, apparently ignoring other zoo patrons...”
UH, because she’d already locked her sites on them/scented them, and they were the only ones running ???
I haven’t seen this report that the cops had access to or commandeered a tranq gun so even with your capital letters, I’m not just taking your FACTS as TRUTH until you provide a link to a credible source for that.
I remember when it happened (we had not lived here long and it’s not that far from where we are). I don’t recall reading anything that the tiger did not make a threatening move. I did a quick search but couldn’t find any articles indicating what you posted. Could you steer me to one? I know that the Bobo had attacked a woman a few years before and that he was declawed but still had his fangs.
susie
Okay thanks for the info. I thought “moat” meant the water is to the top of the banks or whatever.
Indeed.
Do the guys deserve punishment for taunting a caged cat? Yes.
Do they deserve death? Decidedly not.
If you really think they do, then you must immediately begin lobbying for a new federal law that imposes the death penalty on anyone who taunts a caged animal at any time.
But doing so will subject you to being justifiably laughed to scorn for being a nutbag.
Plausible--but cat is 300 lbs--
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