Tony the Tiger, when asked about the mauling, said,
"San Francisco is chock full of frosted flakes.
Tatiana was just a bit confused."
Posted on 12/22/2006 7:52:28 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(AP) SAN FRANCISCO -- A 350-pound Siberian tiger attacked and injured her trainer Friday at the San Francisco Zoo as at least 50 visitors looked on, zoo officials said.
The woman may lose an arm and was in surgery Friday at San Francisco General Hospital with injuries to both arms, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said.
"My understanding is the injuries are not life-threatening, but perhaps limb-threatening," Hayes-White said.
The 3-year-old tiger, Tatiana, reached through the iron bars of her enclosure and grabbed the trainer with both front paws shortly after a regular 2 p.m. public feeding, zoo officials said.
At least 50 visitors were at the zoo's big cat exhibit, called the Lion House, said Robert Jenkins, director of animal care and conservation at the zoo. They were quickly evacuated.
The trainer has been an animal keeper at the zoo since 1997. Her main job is taking care of the zoo's four lions and three tigers, Jenkins said.
"No matter how familiar you get with these animals, they're still wild animals," Jenkins said. "You have to have a healthy respect for them and be aware of what can happen."
Tatiana arrived at the San Francisco Zoo from the Denver Zoo more than a year ago. There were no previous incidents of aggression against humans involving the tiger, said Ana Bowie, a Denver Zoo spokeswoman.
The mauling was the first tiger attack against a human at San Francisco Zoo, Jenkins said.
According to its Web site, San Francisco Zoo is one of the only zoos in the U.S. where visitors can see big cat feedings.
Been there for feeding time.
Sound of little bunny bones crunching.
Tony the Tiger, when asked about the mauling, said,
"San Francisco is chock full of frosted flakes.
Tatiana was just a bit confused."
I saw a hawk feasting on a pigeon outside my window at work recently...it was pretty gory, as you said, sounds of bones cracking and all.
Saw the same red-tailed hawk a few months ago in the parking lot between cars, standing on top of a screaming live crow that was soon to be a meal. The hawk had its wings spread and drooped...the crow knew it was dead meat, was quivering and making awful noises. I did feel kind of bad for the crow.
It is good to be at the top of the food chain...:)
You mean that the San Francisco Zoo has not changed these tigers diets to granola and tofu?
Yup. My cats would make a meal out of me if they were that big.
Hehehe...of course...
{Snip}
"The tiger ate her hand. It slowly proceeded to eat the rest of her arm."
That's how Vikram Chari described the horrifying spectacle that he and his 6-year-old son witnessed at the San Francisco Zoo on the Friday before Christmas, when a Siberian tiger named Tatiana attacked her keeper.
For those who work with wild animals, the bloody assault is a reminder of what they already know but don't always remember: The creatures they've become so attached to could kill them at any moment.
"If you're not afraid of it, it will hurt you," said animal behaviorist Dave Salmoni. "You can't get the wild out of a cat because he's in a cage."
Tatiana's 46-year-old victim, whom the zoo won't name but sources identified as Lori Komejan, is still in San Francisco General Hospital. The tiger, a 350-pounder that was born in the Denver Zoo in June 2003 and arrived in San Francisco last December, is still on display in her outdoor exhibit, although the indoor Lion House is now closed.
The Lion House is where the mauling occurred. At 2:15 p.m. on the afternoon of Dec. 22, just after the public feeding with at least 50 patrons watching, Tatiana turned on Komejan. Chari and his son were standing 8 to 10 feet away, focused on another tiger named Tony, when they heard a shriek.
"The right arm was in the tiger's mouth," said Chari, 40, who lives in San Francisco and owns a telecom business. "The left arm was just being held there (in the claws) and the right arm was being eaten. She was screaming and flailing away."
He said three men tried to yank Komejan, a gifted artist, from Tatiana's grasp. The tiger pulled back, methodically devouring the arm. Finally, a zoo employee grabbed a long pole and jabbed it at Tatiana's head. The tiger let go.
"I think most of the right arm doesn't exist anymore," Chari said. "What was left was hanging in strings. The tiger didn't eat in a very clean way."
After Komejan was released, he said, she tried to touch her right arm with her left hand as she lay writhing on the ground.
"It looked like she was trying to stop the pain, except that there was no arm where she had reached," Chari said.
Zoo officials are investigating the mauling of Komejan, who started working there in 1997, and won't discuss it, beyond issuing a statement mentioning "lacerations sustained to the arms." S.F. General won't disclose her condition, at her family's request.
Meanwhile, friends of Komejan -- a single mother with one daughter -- wait and worry.
e Lion House is where the mauling occurred. At 2:15 p.m. on the afternoon of Dec. 22, just after the public feeding with at least 50 patrons watching, Tatiana turned on Komejan........................I have wanted to do that to a few waiters I have had but there were too many customers there at the time.
They are trying to wean them onto a vegan diet, that’s why they are so pissed off....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.