Ever since a rare Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo (my first zoo!) and mauled two brothers after killing a third man, news sites have listed the story in their various “top ten” boxes, for most emailed, most popular and most blogged. Who knew there was a Sepia angle to this captivating, contradiction-filled tale? An anonymous tipster did, and they just rang up the mutiny; it turns out the two survivors are desi.
First, the deets:
The big cat exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo was cordoned off as a crime scene Wednesday as investigators tried to determine whether a 300-pound Siberian tiger that killed a visitor escaped from its high-walled pen on its own or got help from someone, inadvertent or otherwise.
Police shot the animal to death after a Christmas Day rampage that began when the tiger escaped from an enclosure surrounded by what zoo officials said are an 18-foot wall and a 20-foot moat. Two other visitors were severely mauled…
One zoo official insisted the tiger did not get out through an open door and must have climbed or leaped out. But Jack Hanna, former director of the Columbus Zoo and a frequent guest on TV, said such a leap would be an unbelievable feat, and “virtually impossible.”
“There’s something going on here. It just doesn’t feel right to me,” he said. “It just doesn’t add up to me.”
Instead, he speculated that visitors might have been fooling around and might have taunted the animal and perhaps even helped it get out by, say, putting a board in the moat. [KTVU]
Tatiana is the same tiger who attacked a zookeeper almost exactly a year ago, during a public feeding. In that situation, the Zoo was found to be at fault, not the tiger, which is why she wasn’t put down. As many have pointed out on message boards and in news articles, “she was just acting like a tiger”. In this latest, deadly attack, some have asked why an animal which is extremely endangered wasn’t tranquilized instead of killed. The zoo had a team which was capable of that, but the police responded first and did what they felt they had to:
The body of Carlos Sousa Jr, 17, was found with a slashed throat near the exhibit.
The other two victims, brothers age 19 and 23, who accompanied Mr Sousa to the zoo, were said to be present when the tiger escaped.
It is thought they fled, leaving a trail of blood which the tiger followed…
The four-year-old cat, Tatiana, attacked one of the brothers before police were able to distract the animal and shoot it dead. [Telegraph]
There has been much conjecture about whether a board was lowered to help the tiger (!), whether they dangled body parts over the enclosure to tease it, and whether blood and a shoe were found inside the tiger’s stomping grounds. Finally, there are a few answers:
New information about the SF Zoo tiger attack has been released by police chief Heather Fong. Based on information gathered from the two survivors, brothers Paul Dhaliwal and Kulbir Dhaliwal, Carlos Sousa Jr. actually saved one of them from being killed. Apparently, when Tatiana originally went after one of the brothers, Sousa courageously tried to draw her attention away from his friend, which worked (obvi).
Fong also clarified that there was indeed no shoe found inside the waist-high fence that is intended to keep visitors and tigers from interacting. However, a shoe print that was found on the fence may provide more information on whether or not Tatiana was taunted by the threesome. [SFist]
Predictably, they are in the process of comparing the print with the victims’ shoes. Ek other problem/development:
The wall of a moat that surrounds the San Francisco Zoo’s tiger enclosure is far shorter than officials thought and also below national standards, authorities said today. [SFGate]
Well, that potentially answers how a tiger miraculously jumped out, doesn’t it? In case you missed it the first time, actual desi names of the victims, next:
Zoo officials have gone back and forth on the grotto’s measurements since a 350-pound tiger escaped on Christmas Day, killing 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. and seriously injuring two of his friends. The survivors were identified by relatives and public records as brothers Paul Dhaliwal, 19, and Kulbir Dhaliwal, 23. The three young men were from San Jose.
Earlier this week, zoo officials said the moat’s wall was at least 20 feet tall. Today, they said it was little over 12 feet. Since the investigation began Tuesday, officials have given at least five different measurements for the enclosure, which is surrounded by a moat, two walls on either side of the moat, a small patch of grass and then another waist-high fence. Experts say that the depth of the moat and height of the walls could have a large impact on the animal’s ability to escape the enclosure. [SFGate]
Golly, you think? It turns out that the wall is four feet lower than what experts recommend for such enclosures.
The confusion over the grotto’s size is only the latest headache for investigators looking into the attack, which happened shortly after the zoo’s 5 p.m. closing time. The zoo has no video cameras that watch over the animals, making it difficult to piece together how Tatiana, a Siberian tiger, escaped. And sources close to the investigation tell The Chronicle that the surviving brothers have not been entirely forthcoming during interviews with police. [SFGate]
If I had just been mauled by a tiger which killed one of my closest friends, I might be a bit quiet, too. I’m just saying. The Dhaliwal boys are lucky:
Doctors at San Francisco General Hospital said the brothers are recovering but will have to remain hospitalized for several more days. Chief of Surgery Dr. William Schecter said he was optimistic they would make a full recovery, although there still is a risk of infection.
“They should be able to walk out of here (when they are releasd),” he said. [SFGate]
Developing…
50 · Jonathan said
Easy there, Jon. Just because the kids may have had a few minor indiscretions in their life doesn’t mean they deserved being mauled. C’mon now. Some decency bro.
C’mon, Shallow Thinker, show some respect for the deceased (tiger).
Yo virility is so non-existent you need to eat dried powdered human penis to amp up your sex drive.
Tigers attacking Singhs (wiki: Singh is derived from Sanskrit origin meaning “lion”.)
Is there a civil war going on in the animal kingdom that SM is not covering?
The correct phrasing is, “The two Dhaliwals were big-time rowdies.”
skepmod,
but has this ‘consciousness-raising’ had any effect on the rate of species going extinct or to the brink of extinction?
while the moral considerations of keeping animals in zoos seems tangential, it does bear asking whether wild populations would be any worse off if traditional (meaning gates and enclosures, not thousands of acres) zoos did not exist.
Was the tiger taunted? How do we know for sure because there was no video surveillance/camera. Isn’t this the same tiger that attacked a zoo worker’s arm (during feeding time)? I seriously doubt that the zoo worker taunted the tiger.
Like many people, I have mixed feelings about zoos.
This is horribly tragic for the deceased child and the animal.
Civi war !?! More like Animal Porn
Tatiana Sherni de naal, Babbar Khalsa Paul Dhaliwaal.
I knew it! Only desis would go to the zoo on Christmas day.
55 · gm said
Before that incident, Tatiana had absolutely no record of aggression towards humans. The zoo worker/zoo was found to be at fault in that situation because after an investigation, SFZoo was cited for a lack of proper training and adequate precautions; I think they were even fined for it.
These are not cuddly stuffed animals, but we’re lulled in to thinking they are. When you reach down with the processed horse meat or whatever the hell it is they feed these cats, if they see your hands, they’ll swipe. If you get near the cage, they’ll swipe. She’s not a rogue tiger, she’s just a tiger. Besides, feeding time is probably the most dangerous time to be around a tiger and their “kill”, so that only endangered the worker,more.
Any animal in a zoo is probably stressed; one who is in unfamiliar territory, i.e. outside of their “moat” is probably going to be scared, anxious and angry. Instinct takes over and they go alpha. We just have to get it through our heads, that while we see them as extras from “Alladin”, they see us as mammals which taste good.
p.s. That is a picture of Tatiana, it’s not a random tiger, in case you were wondering.
Another Tatiana that I wouldn’t (or would?) want to mess with.
lol
Quick question, how does sepia muting decide what issues they cover? I have noticed the quite disparat, unconnected and diverse topics you cover, is their a some sort of theme you intend to cover or..not? Cuz.. this past week, I have seen ( tigers, missing girl, indo-china co-operating, dalit power, islamo fascit assasination stories, gandhi underwears, and zakaria on obama)
i am confused..
zoos are great for animals, provided they are not in too small of a space. they get regularly fed and are protected from other animals. why wouldn’t an animal want to live in a zoo? It’s sort of like letting a homeless person live in the Ritz, but just not letting him out of the building. Why wouldn’t he want that?
I don’t mean to speak for the bloggers, but I think the theme is tigerish South Asian assassination political casteist cuisine. And underwear.
“Vladimir”/jz, if you pick a handle I’d be more inclined to answer your question. We ban for handle-switching on the same thread, as it is confusing and unfair for those you’re conversing with.
14 · Priya said
I think it’s totally messed up that you’d get into all this so soon after they shot that tiger. You know, my cats and various Bengalis really looked up to Tatiana. She was the last great hope of a zoo that really wasn’t ready for big cats and browns living together in peace and harmony. Please stop focusing on the negativity. Tatiana’s life is an inspiration to us all, especially to people who are good at math and like poetry or got premium audio systems in their Nissan. She was a strong female cat and she did what it took to get out of that enclosure. I totally respect her.
Godspeed, Tatiana. May your soul rest in peace.
My heart breaks…
^ That’s classy.
What, it’s not okay to make fun of a conspiracy theorist who’s posting on the wrong thread now? Puh-lease.
but Tatiana’s premium sound system was acquired during her two term stint as the president of the cage owners association. this led many to suspect her involvement in the looting of the zoo’s untold riches. apparently, opposable thumbs werent needed to work the crudely put together safe.
Compassion and sympathy are tempting to mock, I know. They’re like the straggler gazelle who is dazed and lagging from the crowd; a perfect opportunity for an easy attack. What some obtusely interpreted as a mandate to only speak well of the dead was actually a plea to allow people to express themselves freely during an emotional event, in a safe place. The obtuse said real liberty comes from allowing both points of view, even as they stifled those with whom they disagreed.
Umm…ooookay. Hypersensitive much?
Priya admitted to posting this on the wrong thread. That’s not fair game for mockery or satire now?
Oh, and I’d just like to point out that straggler gazelles are totally yummy tiger food, by the way.
32 · homonid said
So have i.
And I’m female.
I don’t think anybody was mocking compassion, sympathy, or the shock and sadness that some people expressed. But the comparison to MLK and Ghandi (sic), hallowing of her legacy, and retroactive sainthood being conferred on her by some of the commenters was truly ridiculous, and deserved to be responded to.
(Additionally, and I am not mentioning you here, there was only one “side” requesting that the other hold off on expressing their dislike of Bhutto out of general sympathy for family, friends, the great unwashed and so on. But then I might be experiencing a case of that psychological phenomenon – which I am unable to find a citation for right now – that people always believe that it is the other team that caused the escalation and provocation).
If that’s the case, then whoever’s doing the teasing should accept the risk and any outcome. You can’t have it both ways. If you tease an animal and it mauls you, you should accept that and not cry about it.
it’s actually very possible – and obvious when you’ve spent enough time with any animal that there are certain trigger points particular to an individual animal, the type of animal, and all animals in general. beyond that, this was an animal capable of killing – it’s just common sense not to do anything to get its attention, or annoy it, much less tease or taunt it. and those boys were old enough to know that there are certain things one can do to attract and annoy an animal, even if they weren’t trying to taunt per se. i don’t think any of them got what they deserved, but if they did any of these things, they were certainly conttributing to the harm that followed…
So, are still talking about Tatiana or have we permanently moved onto Benazir?
whah ? Benazir died while trying to jump out of her enclosure to eat the gazelle the Dhaliwals were taunting her with ?
no, the latest is she faked her seath to leave her husband for some other guy who calls himself Mr. 35%.
Even as a kid, I was taught to avoid this by darting my eyes before I crossed my tease.
I have never understood how people manage to post on the wrong thread…and I’ve seen it happen quite a few times now.
I agree. You’d think people would be more cautious, especially when discussing a serious issue like the death of a major world figure, like we are here.
Judging by the number of crazy cross-posts it has inspired, with absconding wives taunting HotOrNot tigers, I’d go for the latter explanation.
Isn’t the whole point of a zoo to give humans a chance to taunt animals safely in a way they couldn’t do in the wild? I do it all the time. I particularly enjoy taunting gorillas. Clearly the zoo is at fault. Expect a multi-million dollar settlement.
Extraterrestrials taunt us, or at least Red Staters, all the time. The victim becomes the abuser I guess
Here is Tipu’s Tiger gnawing on a Brit.
That’s not really true, sometimes the rest of the ungulates gang up to smother the offensive.
Yup. Come January 7th some buck(eyes) are hoping to gang up to smother the tiger offensive…
I am eagerly awaiting the in-depth reportage on this issue by the 24 hour news networks, including interviews with their tiger mauling expert, Roy Horn.
Africans are nicer than Siberians? 🙂 Lions are sweeter thank tigers? Kinda contradicts what I wrote earlier about huge cats not being cuddly-wuddly.
Let the tiger go free and put everyone in San Francisco in cages.
maybe your love for SM is not true enough unless you have multiple windows open for different threads simultaneously 🙂
Wouldn’t be surprised if California passed a law banning “assault claws”. The ATF will get nail clippers to enforce the law…
92 · Vikram said
Nail clippers won’t be enough – what about the tiger’s teeth? Mandate dentures that are supplied to tiger at feeding time? Or stick to feeding it soup?
“Isn’t the whole point of a zoo to give humans a chance to taunt animals safely in a way they couldn’t do in the wild? I do it all the time. I particularly enjoy taunting gorillas. Clearly the zoo is at fault. Expect a multi-million dollar settlement.”
So what did gorillas ever do to you? You’re supposed to be the one with intelligence and free will. It’s bad enough they are imprisoned, but now it’s part of their job description to be taunted? So wonder they chimp out. There was a book where the author wrote of some common treatment of animals, elephants I think, and the writer wondered in passing, “how can animals ever forgive us for what we do to them.” But people who work with big cats because they love them are remarkably forgiving when wild animals act wild. Like the one caretaker in 1999 whose arm was lopped off while she was petting the cat’s nose and telling the visitors how sweet it was. Her plea from the hospital was “don’t hurt the tiger.” She knew she did something stupid and didn’t want the tiger to pay. He’d already lost his home and natural living conditions. Most of time when there is a wild animal mishap in a zoo, it is because somebody did something really stupid. There was a little boy who jumped in a lion cage in NY, I think, some twenty years ago. Deliberately. Now I don’t know about the case currently under discussion, but you’d be surprised how many people challenge the animals deliberately. We have so little real experience with the size and power of wild animals that they could not fathom the mismatch of power.
21 · JGandhi said
:):):) Wasn’t that a beautiful sleight of hand wrt cross-posting ?
A zoo is needed because it is the only time the majority of people get to see and interact with exotic animals. People are always concerned about the extinction of certain animals and are urging people to help protect these animals,well how can people feel any connection to these animals if they never even seen these animals? You might as well ask people to help protect the unicorn, because the number of times they seen a unicorn and tiger is the same amount, ZERO. The more familiar you are with things the more important they become to you.
If you go to a zoo and their is a demonstation on the ability of a gorilla to learn then it might move those few people to care for them just a little bit more. Having a gorilla hand signal “feed me” to a person whould be far more amazing then reading about it or seeing a video of it.
The zoo also has a responsibility to protect the people from the animals and vice versa and if they fail at either one then that is on them. What if a 5 year old boy threw his ball at the tiger and the tiger jumped out of its zone and killed the boy? Is the boy at fault and thats the end of the story? Just clean up the blood and open up in a hour? I dont think so. The zoo will get sued and they should lose.
Shallow, no one’s saying people don’t need exposure to animals in order to care for them more. We disagree with the format: caging them in 3mx3m spaces and gawked at and taunted by streams of visitors. How about a safari-like park instead with the animals relatively freer and humans watching them without the animals’ knowledge. We have the technology to do it, as well as the space of there’s a will.
Macacca revenge.
Multiple windows 🙂
Salil, et al., I enjoyed the animal kingdom satire. In fact, I think from now on we would all be happier if we made like Orwell and discussed all political phenomena/current events in animal-analogies 🙂
It is. But I think it was somewhat obvious that I wasn’t talking about Priya’s comment.
We are all totally yummy tiger food. Yummy tiger food is people.