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Zoo faces multiple woes after attack

Police lay out the sequence of a tiger's assault on its three victims.

SAN FRANCISCO - A deadly tiger escape at the San Francisco Zoo could prove to be a costly blow to an institution that has come under fire repeatedly in just the past few years over the deaths of two elephants and the mauling of a zookeeper.

The zoo could face heavy fines from regulators, its accreditation could be at risk, and it could be hit with a huge lawsuit by the victims or their families. It could even face criminal charges, depending on what the investigation finds.

"Whether the zoo can stay open is a big question," said Rory Little, a professor at the University of California's Hastings College of the Law.

It is becoming increasingly clear that a 350-pound Siberian tiger that killed a teenager and severely mauled two other visitors in a Christmas Day rampage climbed over a wall that was 12 1/2 feet tall, about 4 feet below the recommended minimum for U.S. zoos.

The two surviving victims could also be charged with a crime if they are found to have caused or contributed to Carlos Sousa's death, even unintentionally, Little said.

Police and family members said Friday that Sousa tried to distract the Siberian tiger as it attacked his friend Kulbir Dhaliwal, but the tiger instead came after Sousa.

Dhaliwal was the first victim, police said. As the tiger attacked him, Sousa and Dhaliwal's younger brother yelled in hopes of scaring it off, police said. The cat then went for Sousa, slashing his neck as the brothers ran to a zoo cafe for help.

After killing the teenager, the tiger followed a trail of blood left by Kulbir Dhaliwal about 300 yards to the cafe, where it mauled both men, police said.

[Last modified December 29, 2007, 00:37:40]