San Francisco Zoo tiger attacks
2006 and 2007 attacks on humans
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Key Takeaways
- Two tiger attacks occurred at the San Francisco Zoo, in 2006 and 2007, both involving a female Siberian tiger named Tatiana (died December 25, 2007).
- In the second incident, one person was killed and two others were injured before police shot and killed Tatiana on the scene.
- Tatiana had no prior record of aggression towards humans.
- The injury resulted in several surgeries and skin grafts, and left Lori Komejan's arm severely scarred and permanently impaired.
- Komejan sued the zoo, settling in 2008 on undisclosed terms.
Two tiger attacks occurred at the San Francisco Zoo, in 2006 and 2007, both involving a female Siberian tiger named Tatiana (died December 25, 2007). In the first incident, a zookeeper was bitten on the arm during a public feeding. In the second incident, one person was killed and two others were injured before police shot and killed Tatiana on the scene.
Background
Tatiana was born at the Denver Zoo, and was brought to the San Francisco Zoo on December 16, 2005, to provide the 14-year-old Siberian tiger, Tony, with a mate. Tatiana had no prior record of aggression towards humans.
First attack
On December 22, 2006, as veteran zookeeper Lori Komejan was feeding Tatiana through the enclosure's grill, Tatiana clawed and pulled Komejan's right arm through the grill and bit it.
The injury resulted in several surgeries and skin grafts, and left Lori Komejan's arm severely scarred and permanently impaired.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that the zoo had inadequate safety precautions and staff training and fined it $18,000. Komejan sued the zoo, settling in 2008 on undisclosed terms.
The tiger cage was remodeled and re-opened in September 2007.
Second attack
Shortly after closing time on December 25, 2007, Tatiana escaped from her open-air enclosure, killing 17-year-old Carlos Eduardo Sousa Jr. and injuring brothers Amritpal "Paul" Dhaliwal and Kulbir Dhaliwal (19 and 23 years old, respectively). The three individuals had been witnessed throwing objects at and taunting the animal. Afterwards, the two brothers fled to the zoo cafe 300 yards (270 m) away, which was locked. An employee heard their screams and called 9-1-1 at 5:07 pm.
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