Tiger Attack
I hadn’t been to this zoo in years. Like many, it was a shock to hear the initial reports of 4 massive tigers loose and roaming through the San Francisco Zoo. The information came fast and furious as it always does during breaking news and almost always the information changes. In this case I had just finished Christmas dinner when I noticed the light on my blackberry flashing. Both phones and the blackberry had not rang, but cell coverage in the hills above Calabasas is spotty at best.
Within minutes I was in my car, presents stuffed in the trunk and madly, but safely, making my way south to my home in the western part of Los Angeles. Our crew, producer Nora Zimmett and photographer Keith Railey, had spent the evening closer to LAX and had already made thier way to the gate. I stopped for what seemed like a second, but probably lasted about 5 minutes, grabbed my gear and was back in the car battling traffic. Of course there wasn’t just one accident, but two, and traffic on any night in the ‘City of Angels’ is never easy.
Airport lots were full and shuttles few and far between. I found a valet who had some space and then ran across LAX hoping to make the last flight. I have to say, LAX IS NOT pedestrian friendly. I had to zig zag back and forth across parking lots and down sidewalks and then double back to get to my airline and eventually the gate. Along the way, people movers weren’t working and escalators were broken; doesn’t it always work that way? In any case I got to the gate as my fellow passengers boarded.
Fifty-eight minutes later I was on the ground in San Francisco. Nora and Keith had just gotten their luggage and I met them in baggage claim. Just three hours later we are on site, outside the zoo on the southwest side of the city not far from Pacific Beach. We are at the employee gate/entrance and a police car is stationed out front. At first sign of daylight officers will go inside the zoo and make sure everything is secure and at the same time try and determine how this 350 pound Siberian Tiger got loose.
The sickening story goes like this…The zoo closes at 5pm, but like many attractions, people are allowed an hour or so to leave. At 5:20 or so police get a call of a loose tiger. They find ‘Tatiana’ a 350 pound Siberian on top of a victim at an outdoor cafe’ about 300 yards away from the tiger exhibit. She comes at the officers in an agressive manner and they kill her, firing an unknown number of shots. Two victims are found at the cafe’, both are in critical but stable condition. A third victim is found dead closer to the exhibit. All three men are in their early 20’s and were visiting the zoo.
How did the tiger get out? Was it human error or was there criminal activity? Questions that will begin to be answered once the sun has come up and officers go back into this zoo in force. I’ll keep you updated.
Tags: San Francisco, tiger attack, Zoo
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Adam Housley has been with FNC since 2001 as a Los Angeles-based
correspondent. He has covered news ranging from wildfires in California
to political unrest in Venezuela and was one of the few reporters who
witnessed the execution of Stanley “Tookie” Williams. 
On safari in San Francisco, Wow. I’ve heard that tigers are amazing jumpers given their size. They can jump straight up about 15′ and leap over 30′ over the ground. It’s not inconceivable that this tiger leapt over a 20′ wall,……. unlikely, but possible. As tragic as this is for the victims and their families, I can’t blame the tiger. It is, after all, a wild animal and was doing what it instinctively does best.
A few days ago someone killed, beheaded, and skinned a tiger in a China zoo. Looks like a “copy-cat” case to me….
This is so tragic, I just heard on FOX that they are going in to see if there are anymore victims…I hope not…
Nature did not intend for animals to be caged in a zoo…The whole thing is sad and tragic for both victims and tiger.
If the men were indeed taunting the tiger, I cannot blame it. sorry it had to be killed.
I agrees with mimsy totaly. If they were taunting the tiger they got what they deserved. Sorry they died but they had no business messing with the tiger. If you know its a wild animal and there is a posibility that the anmial might get out why in the hell would you mess with it.
I agree with Maine24, except I am not sorry the man died if he was taunting the tiger. I wish the cops out hunting had tranquilized the animal instead of killing her.
Stupid is as stupid does. Sounds like a re-run of dumb and dumber. Does make one wonder how the intelligent animal on the planet can be the meanest and most assuredly the dumbest. I am saddened they killed the tiger and quite sure the idiots got what they deserved. Of course the survivors and the dead one’s relatives will sue the Zoo and take no responsibility for their own stupidity. That is the most ludicrous assured outcome and guess who will eventually pay for their settlement? Yep, you and me who would be respectful visitors to the Zoo and would not consider taunting a Tiger. The idiots will laugh all the way to the bank! How sad we pay people for their own stupidity.
You know they do call them true hunters, and they must be amazing in the wild to watch. So Adam did you get that PSP you wanted?
Now will someone believe me? A few weeks ago it happened to me. Walking home from a friends house, late at night, I was attacked by an escaped tiger. Was I lucky! In fact ‘Lucky’ is my nickname, the name friends know me by, as I only had my head ripped off. I was even luckier. My head was almost instantly replaced by a passing surgeon. but now I’m really angry. It appears the surgeon stitched my head on back to front. I’ve waited four weeks before saying anything because I’ve been happy with my new body, but having my head on backwards has become a bridge too far. The surgeon had put my head on the body of a young woman whose head was found inside the tiger. I’ve spent the past few weeks trying to come to terms with what has happened and to get in touch with myself, but now my motives are being questioned. All this just before Christmas. And my life was just starting to come together. I used to look forward to the start of a New Year but ever since the ‘incident ‘I’ve found myself looking back to the good old days. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever have anything to look forward to again. If only I could kick start a new beginning. Ten thousand dollars would go a long way to putting my life together. It would help me track down the surgeon for a start. Photo on request.
It’s a shame the tiger had to be killed, but if it was attacking the officers a tranquilizer gun would NOT stop it quickly enough to save them. Too bad a couple idiots caused the death of this beautiful and endangered animal. I hope, if they indeed attempt a law suit, they get what they justifiably deserve – a counter suit by the zoo charging them with causing the loss of an extremely expensive animal. Probably won’t happen, but I can wish.
John
This is a crazy story. I feel so bad for the victims. I’m left wondering how the tiger escaped. I’ve been to these zoos. I know animals. I’m always thinking… Couldn’t an animal potentially escape these moats? Also, was there fencing of some type on the wall of the moat. What kind? If it was electrified.. was the current on?
I have not found a single account that states these boys did any teasing. People keep Saying they “heard” that they were but its all because Jack Hannah kept proposing the idea that they could have and people are just running with it. Please don’t be sheep and find things out for yourself instead of going on what you “hear”. They very well may have been teasing the animal but I could find anything that says so for sure.
how do you idiots know people taunted the tiger. As if the boy deserved death even if ‘taunting’. How can you tease a tiger anyway.
it was probably an SPCA activist dressed as a TIGER!!!
holy cow i just solved the case!
HELLO! ANY INTELLIGENT peeps out there? Taunting or not…..if WE are going to put a WILD ANIMAL in a cage at a ZOO…..expect it TO KILL if….for ANY REASON, IT escapes. I feel for the poor WILD ANIMALS for the HUMAN STUPIDTY they must endure.
DUH…..let’s stick the WILD ANIMALS in a cage and see what happens……….DUH…has anyone seen enough? Oh that’s right…if they escape and kill a human life, we can just kill them….Easy enough. Gee….makes me wonder why Vick is serving time……had one of his dogs killed a human…..the dog would have been put to death…..am I wrong? And don’t anyone start preaching to me about how human life is far more important than an animals life. I couldn’t agree more until you take the “WILD’ out of the WILD”…..then we should EXPECT to suffer the consequences!!
The Parents want answers……that’s easy…..We as humans thought it to be a great idea to bring a WILD ANIMAL to a Zoo and put it in a cage and showcase it…..alas…..it’s escapes and kills…..Oh my….who would have thought? Hope the parents get the settlement they are looking for.
I just did a story on this ( http://www.diversitytv.net ) and my first reaction was , a Tiger escaped inside of a zoo and killed a person, are you kidding me. I read some comments above about the boys could have been teasing the animal, but so what that if they were. The zoo should make sure, under any circumstances, that dangerous animals DO NOT ESCAPE their enclosures. This is 100% the responsibility of the zoo. I can careless what the president of the zoo is saying. That animal should have not been able to escape and now one person is dead and two others are in the hospital with serious injuries. People, don’t value the lives of animals more than human life…I care about animals, but I care more about human life.
I read in the San Francisco Chronicle that they found a shoeprints on the fence leading to the grotto, and footprints between that fence and the grotto. They also found pine cones and other debris that could not have fallen naturally into the tiger’s enclosure, and it’s believed that somebody was throwing the items at the tiger. Witnesses saw the 3 victims taunting the tiger. So there is some evidence that the tiger was taunted, it’s not some mindless gum flapping. Only these 3 men were attacked. It is suggested the tiger might have latched onto a dangling foot or leg and pulled itself out.
First, clearly there is some issue with the height of the grotto — it’s too low. The zoo is liable for negligence if the height was below accepted standards. Second, I don’t mean to be heartless, but I saw photos of the victim who died and he looks like a punk, just the kind of kid who would do something stupid like this. If they really were throwing things at the tiger and dangling their limbs in the enclosure, they suffered the consequences of their actions. This is different from saying they got what they deserved, because nobody deserves what happened to them. I am not happy one of them died or that the other two were attacked, but it was just a natural consequence of their choices.