SF Zoo Tiger Attack: Officials Perpetuated Myth Victims to Blame

Since the deadly Christmas day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo, misconceptions, false rumors, and blaming the victims are being replaced by cold, hard facts.

From the AP:

When questioned by reporters, Mollinedo gave an inaccurate figure for the wall's height, putting it at 18 feet. Then, two days after the attack, he acknowledged the wall was only 12½ feet – or 4 feet below the recommended national standard.

Instead of calling into the question of the height of the wall, Mollinedo insinuated that the three victims, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., and his friends, brothers Kulbir Dhaliwal, 23, and Paul Dhaliwal, 19, were "somehow" responsible:

At a news conference, Mollinedo suggested “something happened to provoke that tiger to leap out of her exhibit.”

To bolster the "blame the victims' strategy, the zoo's newly hired crisis-management specialist, Sam Singer, admitted to furthering a highly inflammatory false rumor, that slingshots had been found. On Tuesday, Singer stated he was just "passing along" the slingshot story.

A police spokesman told The Associated Press last week that investigators quickly dismissed the slingshot allegation as inaccurate.

Mark Geragos, the lawyer for the mauled survivors of the tiger attack, lambasted Singer's tactics as “an abomination” and threatened to sue for defamation.

“To be attacked by a tiger, number one, then to be attacked viciously by false and defamatory stuff is too much,” Geragos said.

The zoo's claim that "something had to have happened" to "make the tiger" climb or jump over its enclosure was bolstered by a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. A woman read of the tiger attack the next day and contacted the Chronicle.

In a San Francisco Chronicle article, zoo patron Jennifer Miller reported that she, her husband and children saw four young men at the big cat grottos and that three of the men were teasing the lions. Ms. Miller said that she called the zoo to report the obvious "taunting."

"The boys, especially the older one, were roaring at them. He was taunting them," the San Francisco woman said. "They were trying to get that lion's attention. ... The lion was bristling, so I just said, 'Come on, let's get out of here' because my kids were disturbed by it.

Miller called their behavior "disturbing."

Her family was looking at the lions when the young men stopped beside them at the big-cat grottos - five outdoor exhibits attached to the Lion House. The young men started roaring at the lions and acting "boisterous" to get their attention, said Miller, who added that she watched the four for five minutes or so a little after 4 p.m.

"It was why we left," she said. "Their behavior was disturbing. They kept doing it." Source DBKP: Blaming the Victims

We wondered why, if this woman thought the behavior of the young men, so "disturbing", she didn't immediately report them to zoo officials, while still at the zoo.

The San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom, has stuck by Mollinedo even though a zookeeper was attacked back in September by the same tiger.

According to a story by UPI on September 7, the zoo had reopened its tiger and lion exhibit after spending $250,000 in safety upgrades to the "dining hall" area. A zookeeper filed a lawsuit alleging that better security could have prevented an attack by a Siberian tiger back in December.

The tiger severely injured Lori Komejan when it managed to tear away the tendon tissue on her right arm. DBKP - Horror at San Francisco Zoo

The zoo is also under attack by animal rights activists who accuse Mollinedo of "putting entertainment" over the animal's well-being.

“There just been a lack of respect for the animals to increase foot traffic,” Katz said. Mollinedo's crowd-pleasing initiatives, such as public feedings of big cats, have made them more aggressive, he said.

Warning Sign, SF Zoo, "Big Cat Feeding"

David Lee, another employee of the city of San Francisco, a recreation and parks commissioner, defended Mollinedo:

“The zoo is an old institution, very traditional, and some felt it hadn't changed much until Manuel came up,” Lee said. “He brought innovation, new ideas, and everyone benefited from that, people and animals.”

And yet, something so simple as raising the walls on the tiger grotto another four feet might have kept one man and one tiger alive. Especially after the same tiger's past record of attacking a zookeeper just a few months earlier. Now the city will most likely face substantial civil lawsuits from the victims and their families.

Instead of owning up to the truth, that the walls were deficient, Mr. Mollinedo and his cronies chose to blame a now dead 17-year-old boy whose throat was slashed by the tiger. A Siberian tiger, doing what all tigers do, shot dead. Two young men left to deal with lasting memories of the final seconds of their friend's life at the hands of tiger, in a place that was supposed to be safe.

By LBG
Image [Tiger]






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San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attack: Blaming the Victims

San Francisco Zoo

The current debate over the mauling of two brothers and fatal attack of 17-year-old young man by a Siberian tiger at the San Franciso Zoo is not whether the zoo's tiger grotto walls were high enough to keep a tiger inside its enclosure but whether the young men had "taunted" the tiger.

That this incident of purported "taunting" mitigates the zoo's responsibility to ensure the animals are unable to escape their exhibits and puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of the young men, one of whom is now dead.

In a San Francisco Chronicle article, zoo patron Jennifer Miller reported that she, her husband and children saw four young men at the big cat grottos and that three of the men were teasing the lions. Ms. Miller said that she called the zoo to report the obvious "taunting."

"The boys, especially the older one, were roaring at them. He was taunting them," the San Francisco woman said. "They were trying to get that lion's attention. ... The lion was bristling, so I just said, 'Come on, let's get out of here' because my kids were disturbed by it.

Miller called their behavior "disturbing."

Her family was looking at the lions when the young men stopped beside them at the big-cat grottos - five outdoor exhibits attached to the Lion House. The young men started roaring at the lions and acting "boisterous" to get their attention, said Miller, who added that she watched the four for five minutes or so a little after 4 p.m.

"It was why we left," she said. "Their behavior was disturbing. They kept doing it."

While we agree that "taunting" or "teasing" zoo animals is wrong we also believe the level of teasing, i.e., "roaring" at the tigers, doesn't rise to the level of relieving the zoo of its inherent responsibility. That of ensuring the animal's enclosures are built to withstand an animal trying to escape. The zoo's director stated that the walls of the tiger's grotto were only 12.5ft., well below the standard height of at "least" 16.5ft tall.

The zoo also plans to install signs which tell patrons they are "guests" in the animal's home.

Help make the zoo a safe environment," the signs state. "The magnificent animals in the zoo are wild and possess all their natural instincts. You are a guest in their home. Please remember they are sensitive and have feelings. PLEASE don't tap on glass, throw anything into exhibits, make excessive noise, tease or call out to them."

The animals kept in captivity might have a differing viewpoint. As for the "sensitive" and "have feelings," tigers are a carnivore and might feel like a patron snack every now and then.

Again, it is the zoo's responsibility to ensure that not only the animals are safe but also the patrons who visit.

People are known to taunt or tease the animals, that's why in just about every zoo across the country there are signs already posted.

A warning sign will never replace a wall built low enough for a 350 pound Siberian tiger to scale, whatever its "reasons" for doing so.

Tigers might be "sensitive" and "have feelings" but they are also carnivores and it's a myth that they are inherently safe unless you tease them.




If this little piece of "logic" were true then the same "logic" would have to be applied to an earlier attack in September by the same tiger. The victim, zookeeper Lori Komejan, was mauled by the tiger at feeding time. Was Lori "taunting" or "teasing" the tiger too?

According to a story by UPI on September 7, the zoo had reopened its tiger and lion exhibit after spending $250,000 in safety upgrades to the "dining hall" area. A zookeeper filed a lawsuit alleging that better security could have prevented an attack by a Siberian tiger back in December.

The tiger severely injured Lori Komejan when it managed to tear away the tendon tissue on her right arm. DBKP - Horror at San Francisco Zoo

Perhaps the zoo will put up a sign in the tiger's grotto:

Help make the zoo a safe environment. The weak animals who visit the zoo are wild and possess all their natural instincts. They are a guest in your home. Please remember they can be insensitive and unfeeling. PLEASE don't attack if they tap on glass, throw anything into exhibits, make excessive noise, tease or call out to you."

But then again, tigers cannot read.

By LBG
Hat Tip: Awa Puhi



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Killer Tiger at San Francisco Zoo: Wall only 12.5' Tall

Last night we got some flak from commenters on our story how tigers can leap 30 feet.

We wrote how Tatiana, the Siberian tiger, might of lept over the enclosure fence. At the time the news reported the wall was 20 ft. tall. Tatiana mauled three men, one fatally, at the San Francisco Zoo before authorities shot the tiger dead.

We're not "experts" in exotic animals so we decided to research how far tigers are known to be able to leap. From the American Museum of Natural History:

No animal fires our imaginations like the tiger -- and for good reason. Tigers are the largest of the big cats. They are incredibly powerful predators: Bengal tigers can bring down wild cattle weighing a ton or more. They are as agile as they are strong: tigers can leap more than 30 feet (9 m) in a single bound, climb trees, and swim for miles. And in their forest habitats, they can disappear in an instant, melting soundlessly into the brush. "When you see a tiger," says Indian biologist Ullas Karanth, "it is always like a dream." Source - DBKP

We read where Jack Hanna, 'wildlife' expert, said it was 'virtuously' impossible for a tiger to get out, that someone must of 'taunted' the tiger.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Animal expert Jack Hanna calls it "virtually impossible" for a rampaging tiger to have climbed or leaped out of its zoo enclosure in San Francisco. The director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo speculates that visitors could have been fooling around and might have taunted the animal. Hanna says it's even possible they helped it get out, maybe by putting a board in the 20-foot moat surrounding the exhibit.
Source - WTOL - Tiger Leap "Virtually Impossible"

Then today from the AP:

San Francisco Zoo Director admits tiger wall was just 12 1/2 foot tall.

So let's do the math one more time:

Tigers can leap 30 feet. This according to the Museum of Natural History.

The San Francisco Zoo director admits the wall less than 13 foot tall.

13 feet versus 30 feet = tiger over the wall

There was also the suggestion by Hanna that someone "had" to 'taunted' Tatiana. Is Hanna one hundred percent certain that this occurred? Tigers are known for killing humans without "taunting." They are, after all, carnivores.

If the zoo knew that wall was lower, then the responsibility may point squarely to them.

Time will tell.

For the dead guy and Tatiana, time is no longer a factor.

By LBG
Image [mnh.si.edu]



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San Fran Zoo Wall 20 Ft. Tall: Tigers Can Leap up to 30 Feet

From today's AP:
The San Francisco Zoo remains closed, at least for one day after the fatal mauling by a tiger. The San Francisco Police consider the zoo a "crime scene" until they can piece together how Tatiana the Siberian tiger was able to escape her enclosure, fatally maul one man and injure two others.
Authorities are mystified as to how the tiger managed to get out of its habitat.

The zoo's director of animal care and conservation, Robert Jenkins, could not explain how the 300-pound tiger escaped. The tiger's enclosure is surrounded by a 15-foot-wide moat and 20-foot-high walls, and the big cat did not leave through an open door, he said.

"There was no way out through the door," Jenkins said. "The animal appears to have climbed or otherwise leaped out of the enclosure."

The man who was mauled to death was found right outside the enclosure. The other two men were found approximately 300 yards away. The tiger had attacked one man and was in the process of attacking him a second time when the authorities shot the tiger dead.

We decided to research how far tigers are known to be able to leap. From the American Museum of Natural History:

No animal fires our imaginations like the tiger -- and for good reason. Tigers are the largest of the big cats. They are incredibly powerful predators: Bengal tigers can bring down wild cattle weighing a ton or more. They are as agile as they are strong: tigers can leap more than 30 feet (9 m) in a single bound, climb trees, and swim for miles. And in their forest habitats, they can disappear in an instant, melting soundlessly into the brush. "When you see a tiger," says Indian biologist Ullas Karanth, "it is always like a dream."

More on Siberian tigers from the National Geographic:

Siberian (or Amur) tigers are the world's largest cats. They live primarily in eastern Russia's birch forests, though some exist in China and North Korea. There are an estimated 400 to 500 Siberian tigers living in the wild, and recent studies suggest that these numbers are stable.

Size: 10.75 ft (3.3 m)
Weight: 660 lbs (300 kg)
Protection status: Endangered



This short video of a tiger attack is a graphic example of the giant cat's prowess.

We did the math. Tiger's can leap up to 30 ft. in one bound. The zoo's moat is 15 ft. wide. The wall of the enclosure is 20 ft. tall. Tatiana was a Siberian tiger, the largest of the world's cats.

From an earlier DBKP story, DBKP: Horror at San Francisco Zoo, it was revealed that Tatiana had attacked a zookeeper, severely mauling the woman, chewing part of her arm off. The zoo spent $250,00 reinforcing the feeding area. The zoo reopened the big cat exhibit in September.

In this case, those who designed and approved the big cat enclosure may have underestimated the sheer power of these beautiful but extremely dangerous animals. One man and one Siberian tiger are dead. Two men are injured.

A deadly lesson learned.

By LBG
Image [img1.jurko.net]



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