An escaped tiger attacked and killed a zoo visitor this afternoon in a cafe at the San Francisco Zoo, where is home to both Siberian and Sumatran tigers. It was not clear which subspecies of tiger was involved in the incident.
The tiger was shot and killed after attacking two other visitors, said Mindy Talmadge, the spokeswoman for the San Francisco Fire Department. Both of the victims were transported to San Francisco General Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Update: According to Finditt News, the tiger which attacked zoo patrons is named Tatiana, the same tiger that attacked and mauled a trainer at the zoo last year.
Update: Carlos Sousa, Jr., a 17-year-old teen from San Jose has been identified as the person who was killed during the tiger attack. Click here to leave your thoughts on Guestbook set up by Mercury News for Carlos Sousa's death.
Update: FOX news reported the tiger Tatiana might have been provoked before it attacked visitors.
One witness said at least one of the victims had provoked the tiger, which had been out of its cage an estimated 15 to 20 minutes, police said.
When officers arrived after responding to the 911 call, they "saw a tiger sitting next to a person who was sitting on the ground," Police Chief Heather Fong said.
They then "yelled at the animal to stop. They did not fire immediately. ... when the yelling was occurring the animal turned toward the officers" and that’s when the officers shot the tiger, she said.
What a Christmas tragedy! Source: CNN #Tags: san francisco zoo, tiger, attack, christmas accident