Slingshots, Liquor and Tigers: SF Zoo Expected to Discourage Similar Activities in Future

More Proof of a Bad Idea

Christmas won't be the same for Dhaliwal Brothers

Here kitty...

Another Christmas idea we'll see less of as time passes.

According to a source, the two surviving brothers injured in the San Francisco Zoo tiger attack had an empty vodka bottle in their car.

The News came from the New York Post.

What better way to get ready for a day at the zoo?

According to the Post, "An empty vodka bottle was also found in a car used by Amritpal Dhaliwal, 19, and his brother, Kulbir, 23, on the day of the mauling, which left 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. dead, according to the source."

"The discoveries could be an indication that the brothers may have taunted the 350-pound Siberian tiger before it leapt from its grotto."

Taunting is never a good idea, whether babies or tigers.
Although cops and other authorities in the Christmas Day tiger attack have repeatedly stated that they believe no taunting of the tiger occurred, this latest news should cast some doubt on that thesis.

According to information obtained by DBKP, one of the brothers wrote on his MySpace page right before he left for the zoo that he was feeling "high".

According to other sources at DBKP, splitting a bottle of vodka could have contributed to the youth's feeling "high".

Just the thing for putting a spring in the step of a Siberian tiger.

So we have "high" teens, with vodka and slingshots,looking for something interesting to do on a Christmas Day. Plus one tiger wall that was several feet--by best estimates--too low to prevent a fully motivated tiger from leaping over it.

Sounds like a recipe for an attack at a zoo that left one teen dead and two others wounded.

The brothers have not commented since they left a hospital Saturday.

When the zoo opens tomorrow, the tigers will not be on display, as officials work to ensure that their enclosure is safe.

Tigers are more social if not taunted

Regardless of what happened during the attack and the subsequent closing of the tiger exhibit, the power of love cannot be stopped. The Post also reported that special arrangements were made to accommodate one couple.

"Meanwhile, an unidentified couple was allowed to hold their wedding at the zoo last night under tight security. Guests had to clear special checkpoints."

Like most weddings, we'd guess that there may have been after-wedding festivities.

Many such post-wedding activities feature alcoholic drinks, including vodka.

No word as to whether any of the wedding party had slingshots.

by Mondoreb
[image: protigil; photobucket; slingshotdepot; tabu-vodka]
Source: Tiger Brothers Had Slingshots





Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

SF Zoo Tiger Attack: Tigers Shot in Dallas and Harlem

Bengal Tiger Shot in Dallas

Another Tiger in Harlem

Urban American Safari?

The deadly tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo a few days ago was a tragedy.

Another tragedy either occurred or was prevented on Christmas Day, depending upon your point of view.

This time it was in Dallas, TX.

The body of a female tiger was found shot to death near an apartment complex. Officials at the Dallas Zoo were notified and a veterinarian performed a necropsy on the tiger yesterday.

This reminded at least one person of the story of a tiger found in a Harlem apartment a little over 4 years ago.

You can read of the San Francisco Tiger attacks and the Dallas tiger elsewhere at DBKP.
* Deadly Tiger Attack at San Francisco Zoo
And you can read about the controversy over how high the zoo walls were and how high tigers can jump.
* Killer Tiger - San Fran Zoo Wall 12.5 Feet, Tigers Can Leap 30 Feet
And you can read about the full story about the tiger in Dallas
* Full Grown Bengal Tiger Found Shot to Death in Dallas

Here's the story of a tiger found in Harlem.

THE HARLEM TIGER

From CNN back in October of 2003.

A man who kept a 400- to 500-pound Bengal tiger and a 3-foot alligator as roommates in his Harlem apartment was in custody Sunday, charged with reckless endangerment, police said.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the tale began Wednesday, when police officers responded to a call of a dog bite at the 19-story public housing apartment building. They found Antoine Yates, 31, in the lobby, with injuries to his right arm and right leg that he told police had been caused by a pit bull, Kelly said.

Yates was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was admitted for treatment.

Thursday, an anonymous caller told police that "someplace in the city, there was a large wild animal," Kelly said. "There was a large wild animal who was biting people."

The tipster called back Friday night, saying that the "wild animal" was at Yates' apartment, Kelly said.

When police returned Saturday to the apartment building to investigate, a resident told them the tenants included a tiger. Yates -- who had checked himself out of the hospital -- was nowhere to be found.

Police talked with a neighbor who said the man in the apartment owned a tiger. A fourth-floor resident complained that urine had seeped through her ceiling from Yates' apartment, Kelly said.

If you have ever complained about how tiny your NYC apartment is, think about the poor, poor 400 pound tiger cooped up in a Harlem apartment building. Police removed the 400 Bengal-Siberian tiger, Ming, from the apartment of Antoine Yates yesterday, calling in a police officer who needed to be rappelled down the building, in order to shoot the tiger with a tranquilizer gun. Also found in the apartment: A caiman alligator named Al. Officer Martin Duffy said the tiger charged at him, breaking the glass of the window: "I have to say I got a little nervous � I'm not going to lie." But he successfully darted Ming, who was later carried out by many people, from places like the NYPD, Bronx Zoo, Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty and Animals and the Center for Animal Care and Control.

FAST FACTS about the HARLEM TIGER - A neighbor complained to the Housing Authority about "tiger urine" leaking from Yates' apartment; the HA knew of the complaint, but claimed not to know it was from a tiger. [Daily News] - A second tiger, some bear cubs, two Rottweilers, rabbits and a tarantula also lived there at the time. [DN] - Ming was fed "a couple of chickens" - Officials are trying to figure out how Yates got a tiger cub in the first place. [Times] - Yates loves animals; brother Aaron: "He raised a healthy tiger. They should find him a job with animals." - Mayor Bloomberg: "Tigers are dangerous animals." - Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly: "This is clearly a first. This is an 'Only in New York' story." - Neighbor:"I think it's crazy for you to have something like that. This is not upstate; it's not a zoo.� [NY1] - Yates: "I am trying to create a Garden of Eden, something this world lacks." [NY Post]

Urbanized tigers aren't good for the tiger or the people they happen to meet on the street. What seems to be a good idea after a few beers down at the bar one night ("Hey, wouldn't it be cool to have a tiger on a leash?") isn't such a good idea after the beer quits talking.

Tragedy in San Francisco at a place where the tigers were authorized to be. Tragedy averted in Dallas and Harlem.

These aren't the only urbanized tigers in the U.S.A.

by Mondoreb
notes: Little Baby Ginn
[image:gothamist;logoi]

Sources:
* Tiger Found Shot to Death in Dallas
* Tiger, Gator Removed from Harlem Apartment
* Tiger, Tiger



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

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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Horror at San Francisco Zoo: Tiger Escapes, One Person Mauled to Death

Sumatran Tiger at San Francisco Zoo

In a story from the AP*, the San Francisco Zoo was evacuated today after four tigers escaped their enclosure, killing one person and injuring two others. One tiger was shot and the others captured.

Tiger Enclosure at San Francisco Zoo [sanfran.jpg]

No word yet as to how the tigers were able to get out of their enclosure. No information as to the identity of the victim.

Developing---

More from KTVU:

Authorities said they got a 911 call at 5:17 p.m. reporting that at least one tiger had broken loose from its cage and was prowling the grounds. Heavily armed police officers confronted the tiger inside the Terrace Cafe, killing it as it attacked a man. Three other tigers were found on the grounds and returned to their cages.

San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Ken Smith said at least one had been killed. A critically injured man who had been mauled in the face was treated by emergency workers inside the cafe. Another iman -- apparently the brother of the other injured man -- was also being treated at San Francisco General Hospital.

Still no word on as to how the tigers were able to escape their enclosure.

Update:

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.

According to the UPI story the zoo had three Sumatran and two Siberian tigers.

By LBG
Sources - Please note, we went back on Jan. 10 to review this story and found the original AP, link had been rerouted. We found another source which had the original AP story at Boston.com.




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