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Tiger's Wall Lower Than National Standard

But how she jumped it is beyond me: zoo chief

By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 28, 2007 4:24 AM CST

(Newser) – A San Francisco Zoo wall apparently scaled by a Siberian tiger who subsequently killed a teenage park patron is four feet lower than national standards, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The big cat, Tatiana, also mauled two of the victim's friends after her escape Christmas Day. Zoo officials initially reported that the wall surrounding the moat and tiger area was at least 20 feet high, but new measurements put it at about 12.5 feet high.

Investigators believe the only way the tiger could have escaped was to leap over the wall, but "how she jumped that high is beyond me," said the zoo's director. The American Zoological Association, which had inspected the enclosure, "raised no concerns about the wall," he said. Carlos Sousa Jr. was killed in the attack; his friends are recovering in a local hospital.

San Francisco Police Chief Heather Fong goes over locations of the tiger attack during a press conference at the San Francisco Zoo December 27, 2007 in San Francisco, California. The zoo remains closed pending further investigation into the Christmas Day tiger attack that left one person dead and two others...
San Francisco Police Chief Heather Fong goes over locations of the tiger attack during a press conference at the San Francisco Zoo December 27, 2007 in San Francisco, California. The zoo remains closed...   (Getty Images)
A Siberian tiger walks through its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo May 18, 2006 in San Francisco, California. A 350-pound tiger named Tatiana escaped from its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo December 25, 2007 and killed a man and injured two others. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A Siberian tiger walks through its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo May 18, 2006 in San Francisco, California. A 350-pound tiger named Tatiana escaped from its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo December...   (Getty Images)
The Terrace Cafe, where two of the victims were found with the tiger that attacked them on Christmas Day, lies deserted at the San Francisco Zoo December 27, 2007 in San Francisco, California. The zoo remains closed pending further investigation into the Christmas Day tiger attack that left one person...
The Terrace Cafe, where two of the victims were found with the tiger that attacked them on Christmas Day, lies deserted at the San Francisco Zoo December 27, 2007 in San Francisco, California. The zoo...   (Getty Images)
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