Feb 21, 2008 11:55 am US/Pacific
SF Zoo Big Cat Exhibit Reopens After Attack
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
Visitors to the San Francisco Zoo are now able to see tigers and lions there again.
The zoo's big cat exhibit reopened Thursday for public viewing for the first time since an escaped tiger killed a San Jose teenager and mauled his two friends on Christmas Day.
The big cats spent three days getting used to their newly renovated outdoor enclosure. Workers completed construction Saturday on safety enhancements to the exhibit.
The big cat grotto now has raised walls and glass barriers with electrified shock-emitting wires added along the interior of the moat wall to prevent another escape - a common practice at some other zoos.
Before the improvements, the grotto walls were about 4 feet lower than national guidelines suggest. The walls are now at the recommended height of 16.4 feet.
The big cats were allowed back into the grotto for half the day on Sunday and have been there daily since Monday, zoo spokesman Paul Garcia said. The cats have shown normal behavior during their reintroduction to the exhibit, he added.
The lions on Wednesday were "resting comfortably on a heated rock without a care in the world," said Garcia.
Since the Dec. 25 attack, officials said the zoo has also added warning signs and surveillance cameras around exhibit.
The big cats are now on display during normal zoo hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
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