San Francisco Zoo tiger attacks
Encyclopedia
San Francisco Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo, housing more than 260 animal species, is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway...
occurred on December 22, 2006 and December 25, 2007, both involving a 243-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana (June 27, 2003 — December 25, 2007). In the first incident, a zookeeper
Zookeeper
A zookeeper is a worker in a zoo, responsible for the feeding and daily care of the animals. As part of their routine, they clean the exhibits and report health problems...
was bitten on the arm during a public feeding. During the second incident, in which two people were injured and one killed, police officers fatally shot the tiger.
First attack: zookeeper injured
Tatiana was born in Denver on June 27, 2003. She was brought to the San Francisco Zoo on December 16, 2005 to provide a 14-year-old Siberian tiger, Tony, with a mate. Tony's prior companion, Emily, had died of cancer of the spleen in late 2005. Tatiana had no record of aggression towards humans.During a public feeding on December 22, 2006, Tatiana clawed and bit veteran zookeeper
Zookeeper
A zookeeper is a worker in a zoo, responsible for the feeding and daily care of the animals. As part of their routine, they clean the exhibits and report health problems...
Lori Komejan's arm which was pulled between the cage bars. Komejan's right arm was severely injured as a result. The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration
California Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration protects the public and workers from safety hazards and enforces the U.S. State of California's occupational and public safety laws...
later found the zoo at fault due to inadequate safety precautions and inadequate staff training. The San Francisco Zoo was fined US$18,000 for the incident. The Zoo decided not to euthanize Tatiana after the attack on Komejan; then-director Manuel Mollinedo said "the tiger was acting as a normal tiger does."
Second attack: injuries and fatality
On December 25, 2007, Tatiana escaped from her open-air enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo and attacked three visitors shortly after closing time. After escaping from the tiger grottoGrotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
, Tatiana killed one patron, Carlos Eduardo Sousa Jr., aged 17, and injured two others, Amritpal "Paul" and Kulbir Dhaliwal
Dhaliwal
Dhaliwal is a large Jatt clan found mainly in the Malwa portion of Punjab, Haryana also it's gotra in Yaduvanshi Ahirs It is considered to be an old Jatt clan with history dating back over 1000 years.-Lineage, origin and history:...
, brothers aged 19 and 23. The brothers fled to the zoo cafe approximately 300 yards (274.3 m) away and, according to initial reports, left a trail of blood that the tiger followed. Paul Dhaliwal, 19, began screaming outside the locked Terrace Cafe, prompting an employee to call 9-1-1
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
at 5:07 pm.
Police response was initially delayed, in part because cafe personnel who called the police voiced suspicions that perhaps the allegations of an animal attack were being made by a mentally unstable person. When the police and fire crews arrived at the zoo, they were further delayed by zoo security guards who were enforcing a lockdown
Lockdown
There are several definitions for the term lockdown, the most common of which pertains to a state of containment or a restriction of progression....
so that the tiger would not escape the zoo grounds.
Carlos Sousa was found near the tiger grotto by a zoo employee who remained with him until rescue crews arrived. The scene was chaotic, and as late as 13 minutes after the initial 9-1-1 call, police officers and fire department paramedics reached Carlos Sousa's body and found his throat slashed or punctured. His autopsy later revealed that he had blunt force injuries of the head and neck, many punctures and scratches to his head, neck and chest, skull and spinal fractures, and a cut to his jugular vein
Jugular vein
The jugular veins are veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart via the superior vena cava.-Internal and external:There are two sets of jugular veins: external and internal....
.
When four police officers and a zoo shooting team member reached the tiger, they found her with one of the brothers, Kulbir Dhaliwal. They did not shoot Tatiana immediately, according to the SF police chief, because they could not be assured of "contain
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
. An examination of Tatiana's stomach contents revealed only the remnants of small animals, and no human tissue.Case #2007-1397, Medical Examiner's Register, PDF file.
The Dhaliwal brothers received deep bites and claw wounds on their heads, necks, arms, and hands. Their injuries were not life-threatening, and they were released from the hospital on December 29, 2007.
Initial investigation
The zoo remained closed until January 3, 2008, though a long-scheduled wedding reception was allowed to proceed on December 31, 2007, at a hall near the entrance gate. On January 15, 2008, the transcripts and the recordings of the 911 calls were released.In the days immediately following the attack, the director of the zoo stated that Tatiana was probably provoked. He said, "Somebody created a situation that really agitated her and gave her some sort of a method to break out. There is no possible way the cat could have made it out of there in a single leap. I would surmise that there was help. A couple of feet dangling over the edge could possibly have done it." Sources told the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
that pine cones and sticks that might have been thrown at Tatiana had been found and which could not have landed in the vicinity naturally. Amritpal (Paul) Dhaliwal, 19, would later admit to the deceased victim's father that the three had yelled and waved at the tiger.
According to early news sources, the Dhaliwal brothers had slingshots on them at the time of the attack. In later reports, the police denied that slingshots were found in the victims' car or at the zoo.
Zoo visitor Jennifer Miller and her family allegedly saw the group of men, including an unidentified fourth person, taunting lions less than an hour before the tiger attack. She later identified Sousa as being part of the group, but said Sousa did not join in the taunting. Despite these eyewitness accounts, the Dhaliwal brothers' lawyer, Mark Geragos
Mark Geragos
Mark John Geragos is an Armenian/ American criminal defense attorney who defended the musician Michael Jackson, actress Winona Ryder, politician Gary Condit, and Susan McDougal. He was also involved in the Whitewater scandal. He also represented Scott Peterson, in another trial that received...
, denied that the brothers teased the animals. It has been suggested that the brothers were drunk at the time of the attack.
The Dhaliwal brothers were reportedly "hostile" to the police following the attack. They initially refused to identify themselves or Carlos Sousa to the police, and refused to give interviews to the police until two days after the attack. Initially, the brothers would not speak publicly about the details of what happened to them. On January 1, 2008, the Dhaliwal brothers hired lawyer Mark Geragos
Mark Geragos
Mark John Geragos is an Armenian/ American criminal defense attorney who defended the musician Michael Jackson, actress Winona Ryder, politician Gary Condit, and Susan McDougal. He was also involved in the Whitewater scandal. He also represented Scott Peterson, in another trial that received...
and planned to sue San Francisco Zoo for their "utter disregard for safety." The negative publicity pertaining to the young men, including speculation that they had taunted or tormented Tatiana, was labeled by some critics as an attempt to blame the victims of the attack and shield the zoo from responsibility.
According to police records, Sousa's blood alcohol level was 0.16, and all three involved had cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
in their system. "Police found a small amount of marijuana in Kulbir Dhaliwal's 2002 BMW, which the victims rode to the zoo, as well as a partially filled bottle of vodka, according to court documents." Also, "police found a partial shoe print that matched Paul Dhaliwal's on top of the railing."
Wall height and history
Two days after the attack, on December 27, 2007, the zoo retracted its prior claim that the grotto's moat wall was 18 feet (5.5 m) tall, after officials measured it and found it was actually 12.5 feet (3.8 m) tall. The AZA recommendation for big cat enclosures is a moat wall of 16.5 feet (5 m). Tatiana's paws were also found to carry concrete chips, suggesting that she climbed out of the moat using her claws on the wall.The attack was the first visitor fatality due to an animal escape at a member zoo, in the history of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...
, according to the association.
A 1996 zoo visitor reported an incident in which a tiger leapt and got a paw on top of the wall, but slipped down. She said that a zoo employee dismissed the incident as a regular occurrence and that her letter to the zoo's director went unanswered.
It was not immediately apparent how Tatiana had escaped, but police said that Tatiana may have "leaped" or "climbed" the walls of her enclosure.
Police undertook a criminal investigation to determine whether one of the victims "climbed over a waist-high fence and then dangled a leg or other body part over the edge of a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
that kept the big cat away from the public" but did not immediately provide public substantiation for this hypothesis.
On February 16, 2008, the zoo re-opened the exterior tiger exhibit which was extensively renovated to meet the extension of the concrete moat wall up to the minimum height of 16 feet 4 inches from the bottom of the moat, installation of glass fencing on the top of the wall to extend the height to 19 feet, and installation of electrified "hotwire."
The zoo also installed portable loudspeakers which remind visitors to leave promptly at the 5 p.m. closing time and "Protect the Animals" signs which read:
Help make the zoo a safe environment. 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.Yollin, Patricia, et al. S.F. Zoo visitor saw 2 victims of tiger attack teasing lions, January 3, 2008. San Francisco Chronicle, print edition; also online at SFGate.com.
First attack
On December 12, 2008, the zookeeper injured in December 2006, Lori Komejan, settled her lawsuit with the city and the zoo shortly before it was due to go trial in January, 2009.SF Settles with Zoo Keeper Mauled by Tiger, January 17, 2009, Bay City News. Tatiana's attack on Komejan's arm left her permanently impaired and severely scarred. Komejan, 48 at the time of the settlement, endured multiple surgeries and skin grafts after the December 2006 attack, but was unable to attain full function in her right arm. Her suit alleged that an unsafe condition existed due to the failure to install effective safeguards for the tiger cage, which was remodeled and re-opened in September 2007. The terms of the settlement were not released to the public, but Komejan's attorney, Michael Mandel, said "The case was resolved to the satisfaction of both sides." The city did not comment. Because the settlement was paid by insurance company funds rather than directly by the city, the amount is not public record.SF zookeeper mauled by tiger settles lawsuit, Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
in Washington, DC, Examiner, January 17, 2009. In addition, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined the zoo $18,000 for the incident.
Second attack
In January 2008, the lead investigator for the city said that the men may have harassed Tatiana, but no charges were filed against them for such behavior.Collins, Terry. SF wants $75,000 back from tiger attack survivor, January 2, 2009, Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
report via Washington, DC Examiner. Taunting a zoo animal is a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
in San Francisco.
On March 27, 2008, the Dhaliwal brothers filed claims with the city of San Francisco seeking compensation for their injuries and emotional harm.
In mid-2008, the city rejected the first claims filed earlier that year by both the Sousa family and the Dhaliwal brothers.Woolfolk, John. San Jose family of teen killed by tiger sues San Francisco, zoo, December 23, 2008, San Jose Mercury-News. On June 30, 2008, the City of San Francisco denied responsibility for the tiger attacks, referring the claim of Sousa's parents to the San Francisco Zoological Society. The terms of the zoo's lease with the city require the Zoological Society to indemnify the city from any claims arising from zoo operations.
In November 2008, the Dhaliwal brothers followed up their initial filing with a new suit in federal court which accused city and zoo officials of defamation for suggesting the young men had provoked the tiger, in addition to a claim of negligence for the incident itself.
In the last week of December 2008, the city filed a lien in the federal lawsuit brought by the Dhaliwals against the zoo. The lien is intended to recover over $75,000 for medical care spent on Kulbir Dhaliwal in city facilities. The city did not comment on why no similar lien was filed to recover the expenses of Amritpal Dhaliwal's care.
On December 23, 2008, the parents of Carlos Eduardo Sousa filed suit against the city and the zoo. Marilza and Carlos Sousa Sr. claimed wrongful death of their son, a minor, and asserted in their filing that the zoo ignored industry standards and warnings from its own staff that the tiger enclosure was insufficient to contain Tatiana. Their attorney, Michael Cardoza
Michael Cardoza
Michael Cardoza is a defense attorney in California. Prior to his criminal defense work, he worked in three of California's District attorney offices: Los Angeles County, San Francisco County, and Alameda County. Now he currently operates a private practice, Cardoza Law-Background:In 1971, Cardoza...
said the suit sought unspecified damages for wrongful death, negligence
Negligence
Negligence is a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances. The area of tort law known as negligence involves harm caused by carelessness, not intentional harm.According to Jay M...
, reckless conduct and maintaining a public nuisance
Public nuisance
In English criminal law, public nuisance is a class of common law offence in which the injury, loss or damage is suffered by the local community as a whole rather than by individual victims.-Discussion:...
. The suit was settled in February 2009; terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
The suit filed by the Dhaliwals was settled in May 2009 for terms including a payment of $900,000 to the brothers by the zoo.
Subsequent events
A year after she died, Tatiana was memorialized on Telegraph HillTelegraph Hill, San Francisco
Telegraph Hill refers to a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is one of San Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills."-Location:...
by a sculptor from San Francisco's Sunset District, Jon Engdahl. The life-size representation of the reclining tiger was unveiled on December 25, 2008, the anniversary of her fatal shooting by San Francisco Police.Koopman, John. Sculpture of Tatiana the tiger unveiled, December 26, 2008, San Francisco Chronicle, p. B-2; also in online edition at SFGate.Com. Composed of concrete, ceramic tile and wire, the statue was installed in an area of dense foliage near the Greenwich Steps on the east side of Coit Tower
Coit Tower
Coit Tower is a tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The tower, in the city's Pioneer Park, was built in 1933 at the request of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the city of San Francisco; Coit bequeathed one-third of her estate to the city "to be expended in an...
. "This was a labor of love," Engdahl told the press. "I identified with this beautiful animal. I felt sorry for the sordid and needless way she died." The work, in the style of Catalan artist Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.Much of Gaudí's work was...
, represents Tatiana as she looked when she arrived at the San Francisco Zoo, at less than two years old. The sculpture, placed without city permission, is not easily seen from either the street or the Steps.
On February 4, 2009, the four officers on the police shooting team, Scott Biggs, Yukio Oshita, Kevin O'Leary and Daniel Kroos, were honored for bravery by the San Francisco Police Commission.Lagos, Marisa. Cops who shot tiger to be recognized as heroes, January 16, 2009, "City Insider" column, San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
via SF Gate. Assigned to the Taraval Station at the time, the four men have moved on with their careers. At the time of the 2009 ceremony, Biggs and Oshita remained at Taraval as plainclothes officers; O'Leary remained at Taraval walking a beat; and Kroos was assigned to Mission Station.
External links
- San Francisco Chronicle: Tiger Attack collection of articles and related media
- San Francisco Wikispot: Tiger Attack
- When Zoo Animals Resist: A Message from Tatiana by Jason Hribal