Zoo Reopens After Deadly Tiger Attack

The San Francisco zoo reopened today despite ongoing investigations by zoo officials and police. Thank each and every one of you who left me a comment on my previous post about the tiger attack. This situation has become very sad for everyone involved. Numerous reports have come out that a group of boys were taunting Tatiana the tiger before the attack. This post today is to inform you of where the investigation stands and what is currently being done at the zoo.

Within minutes of the opening, visitors began placing wreaths, bouquets, photos and other misc. keepsakes at a makeshift memorial located just inside the entrance. Both the tiger (who was shot and killed by police) and the victim Carlos Sousa Jr. are honored at the memorial. One visitor who has been coming to the zoo once a week for the past 3 years tried to hold back tears as she talked about how docile the big cats were.

A witness before the attacks has come forward and reported that she, her husband, and her two children saw a group of 4 boys harassing and taunting the tiger. She recognized one of the boys (Sousa Jr.) after seeing his picture in the newspaper, but does not recall seeing Sousa Jr. teasing the tiger (she has identified the other two boys currently in the hospital). The woman noted that the young men were growling and teasing the tiger and that one of the tigers seemed agitated. Her daughters were disturbed by what the saw, so the woman and her family left the area.

The attorney for the two injured boys has denied that his clients ever taunted the tiger and my guess is that they will continue to deny it unless the investigation reveals otherwise.

A bottle of vodka was found in the car Sousa Jr. and his friends drove to the zoo, but as of right now toxicology reports have not been released (they will be released once the investigation is complete). Authorities have found no evidence of slingshots, BB guns, or any other device.

Workers are now trying to make the big cat pens safer and are beginning construction on it now. They are going to be installing 19 foot high glass panes to the structures, and the big cats are currently indoors until the work is complete.

The sad thing to me is that we go to zoos to see animals acting naturally, as they would in the wild. Nothing in this world will ever be 100% safe - especially when dealing with wild animals. But, from my reading it seems as if the tiger was just acting naturally to a perceived threat. The boys may have been teasing the tiger - can any of us honestly say we have not seen (or participated) in some type of taunting? Before you say no, think about the monkeys, children of all ages can be seen pounding on the glass or mocking them. This may seem perfectly innocent, but we only say that because they don’t weight 350 lbs and have razor sharp teeth.

I will leave you with an interesting piece of information: it is a misdemeanor for anyone to molest, disturb, capture, injure, or destroy any animal in any park, including the zoo. Now with that in mind, do you think the two victims are denying teasing and taunting the tiger by sheer coincidence?

It will be interesting to see what the investigation shows, and as soon as that information is made available, I will write about it! Stay tuned to my blog for updates, and please continue to leave your comments!!

Articles relating to the tiger attack:

• The Los Angeles Times
• The Associated Press
• The Sydney Morning Herald

Thanks for reading! As always your participation in comments and discussions are encouraged and greatly appreciated!!