Jan 11, 2008 12:08 am US/Pacific
SF Tiger Mauling Survivor Recounts Attack
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP) ―
The mother of the teen killed by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo said one of two friends injured in the attack told her that none of them had done anything to taunt the animal.
Marilza Sousa spoke with Paul Dhaliwal by phone on Monday— their first conversation since the Christmas Day attack, the San Jose Mercury News reported Thursday.
Sousa said Dhaliwal, 19, told her the tiger jumped over the fence while the trio was talking and attacked him first.
The animal then tore a long gash in his skull before wrapping its jaws around the throat of her 17-year-old son, Carlos Sousa Jr., killing him instantly, the newspaper said.
Dhaliwal's 23-year-old brother, Kulbir, also was mauled but survived. Police officers killed the tiger.
"Did you stick anything through the fence or taunt the tiger?" Sousa said she asked Paul Dhaliwal.
"No," a reportedly tearful Dhaliwal said. "We never tried to taunt the animal. We were talking, laughing, walking, nothing else."
Zoo officials have suggested something must have provoked the tiger into making the deadly escape. Police are still investigating.
"To our knowledge nothing like this has ever happened before," zoo spokesman Sam Singer said. "Animal experts have said as well it's unusual for an animal to leave its enclosure unless it's been provoked."
The Dhaliwals, who attended their friend's funeral Tuesday, have said nothing publicly about what happened Dec. 25. Their lawyer has repeatedly said they did nothing to goad the animal.
A necropsy of the tiger conducted by the zoo's veterinarian revealed the animal had been shot by police three times during the attack, including once in the skull, and that the claws on her hind paws were "torn/frayed," the newspaper reported. It also said the stomach of the animal was full of "undigested meat," apparently from an earlier feeding.
The Sousa family had said they called the Dhaliwals several times since the attack trying to learn what happened, but their messages were not returned.
Marilza Sousa said Paul Dhaliwal apologized Monday for not calling sooner. "I didn't know what to say," she said he told her.
Father Carlos Sousa Sr. expressed sympathy for his son's friends, the Dahliwal brothers. "I feel sorry you know, I know that he's going to go through a lot of trauma too, basically because, can you imagine getting attacked by a tiger and losing your best friend?" he wondered.
Meanwhile, the police officers who shot the tiger dead following the attack are being recommended for medals of valor. SFPD Chief Heather Fong credits the officers with a quick response that helped save more lives.
Police officers are not trained to hunt animals, so Fong said these officers are indeed deserving of a special commendation.
The officers have been identified as Scott Biggs, Kevin O'Leary, Daniel Cruz and Chris Oshida.
Since the attack, zoo protocol has been expanded to include police and animal car and control, ideally allowing officers quicker entrance into the facility in the event of an emergency.
"Earlier this week there was a meeting already," Fong said of the new plan. That includes adding maps of the zoo to every police radio car, "and ensure that when something occurs that officers responding will have a designated location to respond to, that communication will immediately be in place."
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