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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP / BCN) ― San Francisco Zoo officials appeared Friday at City Hall for a hearing by the Recreation and Parks Department Commission to examine what happened the day of a fatal tiger attack and how to improve zoo safety.
The incident occurred a little more than two weeks ago when a 350-pound Siberian tiger leaped out of its grotto on Christmas Day and fatally mauled Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, and seriously injured brothers Amritpal and Kulbir Dhaliwal, 19 and 23, of San Jose.
Commission President Larry Martin opened the meeting by expressing condolences to Sousa’s family and regrets for the injuries to the Dhaliwals.
“There needs to be a narrative that everyone understands to make sure this never happens again,” Mayor Gavin Newsom said.
“Like you, I am committed to finding answers to make sure this type of accident does not happen again,” Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo told the comission.
About 100 zoo supporters and critics spoke during the public testimony portion of the hearing. Comments included a handful of animal rights advocates who oppose keeping animals in zoos. Most people, though, voiced support for keeping the zoo in San Francisco — but many also called for a change in management and asked Mollinedo to resign.
“I’ve been to the zoo one time, with four other people. We left within a half of an hour because we did not feel safe. None of us ever went back,” said one speaker at the hearing.
“I think the zoo has done a wonderful job,” said another man, a zoo supporter. “And the Zoological Society has done a wonderful job.”
Zoo officials have suggested the tiger, named Tatiana, was provoked into climbing out of its enclosure.
“I believe something unusual and extraordinary happened to cause this tiger to get out of its exhibit,” Mollinedo said, noting that the Christmas Day attack was the first time in 67 years that “a tragedy like this has occurred.”
Newsom said he has asked zoo administrators to tell him the truth about any inaccuracies previously reported, such as the zoo’s erroneous initial reports about the height of the tiger enclosure’s wall, which is 4 feet lower than nationally recommended standards.
“I have every expectation that zoo management has been forthright and honest,” he said.
Members of the commission adjourned into a closed session for nearly an hour during the meeting before resuming with the public hearing on the incident.
During the closed session, the commission met with lawyers from the city attorney’s office to discuss what its agenda called “anticipated litigation.”
City lawyers have said they expect the attack victims sue the city and the zoo.
At the end of the meeting, the commissioners asked zoo officials to prepare a plan to improve security and emergency response, and ordered the city controller to audit the zoo’s finances and performance.
Under a lease agreement with the city, the zoo is operated by the non-profit San Francisco Zoological Society, and a joint oversight committee is looking into possible changes to strengthen that agreement.
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