The fact of the matter is that people do stupid things around zoo animals and zoo officials know this. Face it, SF: the lion cage was built in 1948, did not meet current safety standards, the fence was several feet lower than officials claimed and than required by safety standards, and, worst of all, apparently other patrons had complained that the tigers had managed to get across the moat at various times in the past (although the tigers hadn’t leaped over the fence, probably at least in one case because a woman screamed and lunged towards them to protect her child).
Also, why was there no keeper around the tiger cage at closing time? All that seems to have been in the zoo were a few hapless patrons. Doesn’t the zoo have any employees? And don’t they have any weapons or even tranquilizer guns?
The first employee to be notified of the attack went back and forth between the cafe and the attack for 20 minutes driving her golf cart. Other employees were unable to find someone with a tranquilizer gun. Once they did, zoo employees kept police outside the gates for six minutes while zoo security unsuccessfully tried to tranquilize the animal attacking the brother.