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(11-12) 13:42 PST San Francisco - -- Two San Jose brothers who survived a Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo have filed a long-expected lawsuit against the city, zoo and others, claiming slander and civil rights violations in the aftermath of an incident that drew international attention. [snip]

In the latest flap over religion in public places, a Lincoln restaurateur and Christian church have decided to pull their Noah's ark booth out of the Lincoln Children's Zoo's annual "Boo at the Zoo" trick-or-treating event. The reason? A new zoo diversity policy forbade Bible verses on the booth's pizza coupons, and the restaurant owner and church leaders did not want to go along with that ruling. The owner of the daVinci's restaurant chain, Kelly Knudson, said he and First Covenant Evangelical Church leaders decided to pull out despite a 15-year history of participating in the event. For all those...

She looks a little rough, but the Assiniboine Park Zoo's polar bear Debby, famous for being the oldest living polar bear in the world, is dealing better than expected with health issues that threatened her life earlier this year, zoo officials said Thursday. Zookeepers feared the worst for the 41-year-old after a series of strokes over several months started taking its toll earlier this year. Officials informed the public about Debby's ailing health in August so people who enjoy seeing her could return for one more visit. Debby's keeper, Bob Sydor, said Friday that the bear's weight is a continuing...

(WXYZ) In the wake of his resignation, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's name will be taken off the water tower at the Detroit Zoo.

A PYTHON has killed a student zookeper at the weekend and was caught trying to swallow the man's body when horrified coworkers arrived, Venezuela's El Universal newspaper reports. The other employees of the Caracas zoo had to beat the 3m-long Burmese Python to make it release the body of 29-year-old Erick Arrieta, whose head it was swallowing. < > "The young man underestimated the animal's instinct," said the director general of the Parque del Este zoo, Javier Hernandez.

SAN FRANCISCO — One of two brothers who survived a tiger attack at San Francisco Zoo has been sentenced to 16 months in state prison for violating probation in a felony reckless driving case. In December, Paul Dhaliwal was sentenced to 30 days in Santa Clara County jail and three years of probation for leading police on a high-speed chase through San Jose last year. But three days after sentencing he was cited for marijuana possession, and in March he was also arrested on suspicion of shoplifting. Prosecutors say the 20-year-old Dhaliwal received the 16-month-prison sentence last week in Santa...

If you are concerned about the growing intrusiveness of regulators into our private lives, then you may want to read about Robin Countryman-Velk and her Kiddin’ Korral Animal and Activities project in the Napa, California, area. Kiddin’ Korral is part of a 1,400-acre dude ranch that is owned and operated by some 1,400 owners (the acreage is not divided). The owners have an association with a board of directors that oversees the operations. The owners can use the place any time they want—it has 100 cabins, 200 campsites, a couple of large pools and, for the last two years, the...

One of two brothers wounded in a Christmas Day tiger attack in San Francisco has been sentenced to 16 months in state prison, after a judge ruled he violated his probation in connection to an April 2007 incident in San Jose which he fled from police in a high speed chase. Last week, Amritpal "Paul" Dhaliwal was sentenced in Santa Clara County's felony violation court. The prison sentence comes after a series of probation violations. Not only did the underage Dhaliwal admit to having alcohol and marijuana, he was booked on several counts of felony shoplifting in Alameda County, said...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 11, 2008 – The Baghdad Zoo officially welcomed two Siberian-Bengal tigers, Riley and Hope, to its animal kingdom Aug. 8. Riley and Hope, male and female respectively, were donated by the Conservators' Center in North Carolina. "This is a very important step to improve relationships [between] the zoo and the people of Iraq, and it is proof that the security situation in Iraq is getting better," said Adel Salman Mousa, the Baghdad Zoo director. "They're a real signature species; people really identify with the beauty of the tigers," said Lt. Col. Robert Sindler, the Multi-National Coalition -...

BAGHDAD , Aug. 11, 2008 – After traveling more than 7,000 miles, two Bengal tiger cubs have finally settled into their new home in Iraq. Amid much fanfare and excitement, Hope and Riley were introduced to the Baghdad Zoo on Aug. 8. Riley and Hope, the pair of tigers sent to the Baghdad Zoo from the Conservators’ Center in North Carolina, relax in their new enclosure in Iraq on Aug. 8, 2008. Riley and Hope will entertain more than 10,000 visitors to the zoo every weekend and 2,000 to 3,000 on weekdays. Attendance is up by more than 300...

Well, I'm off to take my kids to the zoo today!!! I'll have to keep my eye on my kids And I hope they have safe containment for the animals... And I'll have to make sure my kids leave the animals alone

Vandals stoned and beat to death about 50 ducks, including some that were just days old, at the Bever Park Children's Zoo overnight. A zoo employee discovered the dead birds around 7 a.m. this morning. Some were floating in a pond, and others were piled up near a broken rake. Dave Smith, the city parks superintendent, said whoever was responsible broke the lock on the front gate to the pen and broke into two of the three night houses where the birds are kept overnight. They believe at least one person herded the ducks together while someone else did the...

Male Bird At Smithsonian's National Zoo Has Special Reason To Celebrate Father's DayTwo of the four new rhea chicks at the Smithsonian's National Zoo nest in the feathers of their father. The chicks hatched on April 20 and were the first rhea chicks to hatch at the National Zoo in 30 years. Dedicated fathers, it is the male rhea who incubates the eggs and protects the chicks after they hatch. The Zoo is now home to a total of seven rheas: a male, two females, and the four new chicks. (Credit: Copyright Mehgan Murphy/Smithsonian’s National Zoo) ScienceDaily (Jun. 15, 2008)...

Four Lion Cubs Born In Norway At the Kristiansand Dyrepark (Zoo) the lioness Sera is the proud mother of four cubs born on Saturday morning, the first ever lion birth in Norway. First reports had the number at three, but on Sunday a fourth came into view.

Wind, rain and bitter cold could not keep five determined women from sending their message to Woodland Park Zoo: An elephant never forgets. The women, representing three animal activist organizations, went to the zoo Friday morning to remember Hansa, the zoo's baby elephant, who died one year ago, and to protest the zoo's decision to once again impregnate Hansa's mother, Chai. The activists claim that because Hansa died of herpes, Chai might also carry the disease and could pass it on if she had another child. "If she has another baby and it dies, she won't recover," said Nancy Farnam,...

A chance encounter in Israel between vets and a giraffe has led to a rabbinical ruling that the African animal is kosher. According to a report in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, vets were asked to treat an adult, female giraffe at Israel's largest zoo, the Safari Park in Ramat Gan. Giraffe meat and milk has been ruled acceptable for observant Jews The team, led by Professor Zohar Amar, took a routine sample of milk and found that it clotted in the way required by Jewish law for kosher certification. They submitted more milk for verification by the rabbinical authorities and...

KRASNODAR, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - A drunken Russian zookeeper, who was mauled by a lion after climbing into its pen May 1 at a zoo in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, died in hospital Tuesday, investigators said. The man, who had been suspended from work for being drunk, entered the animal's enclosure while the lion slept and was attacked by the big cat as he tried to tap it on the nose. Following the attack the zookeeper was hospitalized in a critical condition undergoing surgery to amputate his hand but died from his injuries. A criminal investigation...

Families stroll the park's sidewalks and picnic in the shade as laughing children clamor to see the main attraction - lions once owned by Saddam Hussein's son, Odai. Damaged after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the Baghdad Zoo has made a startling comeback, and thousands of Iraqis are flocking here to escape the city's grungy streets. The zoo, located in the sprawling Zawra Park in the heart of Baghdad just outside the U.S.-controlled Green Zone, has been held up as an example of American reconstruction efforts. The military brought in new animals, rebuilt damaged exhibits and worked with international zoos and...

Llewellyn Werner, a California investor, admits he is facing obstacles most amusement park developers never have to deal with. Such as insurgent attacks and looting. But when the amusement park you’re building lies in downtown Baghdad, those risks come with the territory. Mr Werner, chairman of C3, a Los Angeles-based holding company for private equity firms, is pouring millions of dollars into developing The Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum. It is being designed by the same firm that developed Disneyland. “The people...

Knut, the once-cute celebrity polar bear turned vicious killer, is at the center of a controversy over his brutal slaughter of ten carp at the Berlin Zoo. The massive polar bear, who has lived at the zoo since birth, apparently fished the carp out of the moat surrounding him and ripped them to shreds in front of several disgusted zoo patrons. One of Germany's top newspapers, Bild, ran the headline "Knut Embroiled in Carp Scandal," and featured an article which quoted animal rights groups who criticized zoo officials for placing live animals within Knut's reach.

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, March 29, 2008 (03-28) San Leandro - -- The younger of two brothers who survived a Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo was arrested on suspicion of trying to steal two video game controllers from a San Leandro store, police said Friday. Paul Dhaliwal, 19, hid two Nintendo Wii controllers in his pants at the Target store at the Bayfair Center mall about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, San Leandro police Lt. Tom Overton said. Store security officer Michael Marucut, dressed in plain clothes, told authorities that he witnessed the theft and...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A man has been cited for misdemeanor animal taunting for allegedly tossing acorns at a rhinoceros at the San Francisco Zoo, police said Friday. Juan Zuluaga, 26, was arrested, cited and released after the incident Thursday, authorities said. The zoo has stepped up its warnings against harassment of animals after the Christmas Day tiger attack that left one young man dead and two others injured. Among other steps, it has posted signs telling patrons not to annoy the animals.Police said they were summoned to the zoo at 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a patron reported to officials that...

A rare female Amur leopard cub, born 18 November 2007, taking her first steps outside her den at Marwell Zoological park in Hampshire, Britain, 28 February 2008. She was bred as part of a European conservation breeding program, to mother leopard 'Ascha'. The cub is yet to be named. EPA/JONATHAN BRADY

HONOLULU (AP) - Honolulu Zoo officials are taking another look at procedures for keeping their 245-pound Sumatra tiger in his cage. The tiger named Berani was discovered wandering around an unsecured area just before the zoo's opening on Thursday. A startled female volunteer reported the escape after the tiger brushed past her. The volunteer quickly retreated and secured a second gate that kept the tiger from going into a public area. It took zoo workers several minutes to coax Berani back into his cage. City services director Sidney A. Quintal says no person or animal was harmed in the incident....

February 14, 2008 Zoo slammed for elephant's 'under-age pregancy' Philippe Naughton Sydney's Taronga Zoo has been reprimanded by animal rights activists for letting an Asian elephant fall pregnant even though she is only nine years old. The zoo, famed for its views over Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, proudly announced today that Thong Dee was five months into a 22-month pregnancy and should become the first captive elephant in Australia to give birth. It even released ultrasound images to confirm what it called an "historic event". But Erica Martin, who heads the Asia Pacific office of the International...

S.F. police investigation into tiger attack "suspended" due to lack of evidence of taunting Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, January 29, 2008 (01-29) 16:16 PST San Francisco - -- The San Francisco police investigation into the tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo has been "suspended" after a search earlier this month failed to turn up evidence that the victims taunted the animal or committed other crimes, police said Tuesday. The case is being shelved "pending new witnesses being interviewed and/or new evidence being produced," according to a Police Department statement about the Christmas Day mauling that killed...

S.F. Zoo mauling investigation winding down Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, January 19, 2008 The police investigation into the tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo will soon be reclassified as "inactive" after a search failed to turn up evidence that the victims taunted the animal or committed other crimes, authorities said Friday. Sources close to the case said the investigation into the Christmas Day attack could be shelved as soon as next week and will not be reopened unless new information comes to light. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to...

SAN FRANCISCO — One of the three victims of San Francisco Zoo tiger attack was intoxicated and admitted to yelling and waving at the animal while standing atop the railing of the big cat enclosure, police said in court documents filed Thursday. Paul Dhaliwal, 19, told the father of Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, who was killed, that the three yelled and waved at the tiger but insisted they never threw anything into its pen to provoke the cat, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. "As a result of this investigation, (police believe) that the...

San Francisco police today began their review of the cell phones and car belonging to the survivors of a Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo, officials said. < snip > A San Francisco Superior Court judge granted a search warrant allowing police to examine the cell phones and car on Tuesday. For police and city officials to get the warrant, they needed to show probable cause of felony wrongdoing, a city official said.

911 Audio Released of SF Tiger Attack Jan 15 05:00 PM US/Eastern By MARCUS WOHLSEN Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - One of the men mauled in a Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo pleaded for help and asked why it was taking so long to get it, according to a 911 recording released Tuesday. A dispatcher told the young man that paramedics could not come to his aid until they could be sure they weren't in danger of being attacked themselves, according to the recording. One of brothers Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal made the 911...

Lawyers say city, zoo on shaky legal ground if tiger victims sue Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, January 13, 2008 "Based on the facts that have come out, this is a clear-cut case of negligence," said John Diamond, a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. He cited the zoo director's admission that the moat wall around the tiger grotto was only 12 1/2 feet high - 4 feet below national safety standards, and 7 1/2 feet shorter than zoo officials had said it was. "There's no excuse for having an enclosure that does not...

For ten years their home has been a 20ft cage set into the cliffs of Monte Carlo. But last week - for the first time in their lives - leopards Sirius and Pitou ran free across the plains of Africa. They tasted their new freedom in a game reserve after being rescued from Monaco zoo following a five-year campaign by The Mail on Sunday and The Born Free Foundation. Female Pitou, aged 14, set off with a roar after leaving her cage - while 13-year-old male Sirius had to be coaxed out before bounding into the veldt. The leopards had...

Leopard Nearly Escapes From Enclosure At S.F. Zoo SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ― A source inside the San Francisco Zoo said a 90-pound snow leopard somehow forced an opening Thursday in a steel mesh wall separating its feeding cage from a normally secure zookeeper service area, according to CBS station KPIX-TV in San Francisco. The unidentified source told KCBS Radio the male leopard, named Gurja, had its head and front leg through the hole when the zookeeper saw what was happening and locked herself in the animal's exhibit area. The zookeeper was then able to use food to lure the leopard...

Zoo safety questioned again after leopard, polar bear nearly escape Saturday, January 12, 2008 (01-11) 13:38 PST San Francisco -- Revelations that a polar bear and a snow leopard came close to escaping from their enclosures at the San Francisco Zoo over the past week renewed questions Friday about the safety of visitors and workers at the facility, several zookeepers said. ***** The zookeepers said the latest incidents made them fearful for their safety and called into question whether visitors are safe. ***** Zoo officials acknowledged Friday morning that a 100-pound male snow leopard named Ghurka ripped a 4-inch hole...

San Francisco Zoo in new animal escape alert: reports 1 hour ago SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — A leopard and a polar bear came close to escaping from enclosures at San Francisco Zoo, reports said Friday, less than three weeks after a visitor was mauled to death by a tiger at the facility. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on its website that zookeepers told the paper a female polar bear climbed the wall of its enclosure on January 3 while a snow leopard chewed through a temporary enclosure on Thursday. The incidents come after the Christmas Day escape of a Siberian...

Sam Singer Biography Mercury News Article Launched: 01/06/2008 02:24:24 AM PST On his desk: A "Ten Ways Dick Cheney Can Kill You" mouse pad On his bookshelf: Political and newspaper mementos, books by his mother, the late Margaret Singer, a University of California-Berkeley psychologist and cult expert. Politics: Democrat. When he was 10, he participated in a local campaign for Bobby Kennedy. Volunteers washed car windshields, then added a flier reading: "Now that you can see clearly, vote Kennedy for president."

Two San Jose brothers mauled by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day have refused to allow police to examine their cell phones for possible text messages or photos believed to be taken the day of a tiger's escape. In a letter sent Friday to the brothers' attorney, celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera asked that Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal preserve "this potentially critical evidence." "The digital content of your clients' cell phones, which we understand are currently in the possession of the police, may help reconstruct what happened at the tiger exhibit...

Soon after their 17-year-old friend was mauled to death by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo, the two brothers who survived the attack made a quick pact not to cooperate with the police as they rode in an ambulance to the hospital, sources told The Chronicle. "Don't tell them what we did," paramedics heard 23-year-old Kulbir Dhaliwal tell his brother, Paul, 19. Sources also say that the younger brother was intoxicated at the time of the incident, having used marijuana and consumed enough liquor to have a blood-alcohol level above the .08 limit for adult drivers. The older brother...

The two brothers injured in the Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo have refused to let police examine photos on their cell phones that authorities believe were taken the day they were mauled and their friend was killed. < snip > "We also understand that police officers requested permission from your clients to examine any images and other contents of the cell phone. Your clients refused to cooperate with this request; consequently, no one has yet examined this potentially critical evidence."

Jennifer Miller, who was at the zoo with her husband and two children that ill-fated Christmas afternoon, said she saw four young men at the big-cat grottos - and three of them were teasing the lions a short time before the tiger's bloody rampage that killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. < snip > When a friend told Miller about the attacks - first reported to 911 dispatchers at 5:07 p.m. - she called police the day after Christmas to tell them what she had seen. She called back Wednesday because she was wondering why news accounts mentioned only three young...

Tiger Attack Victims Hire High Profile Lawyer Tuesday, Jan 1, 2008 @06:21pm CST Two brothers who were injured by a tiger during a Christmas Day attack at the San Francisco Zoo have hired a high-profile lawyer. The victims will be represented by defense attorney Mark Geragos whose previous clients have included Michael Jackson and actress Winona Ryder. ABC News reports Geragos is expected to file suit against the zoo on behalf of Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal. A friend, Carlos Sousa Jr., was killed in the same attack. According to ABCNews.com, Geragos says of the attacks, quote,"there are some very disturbing...

A six-month-old zebra named Ann Curry is back where she belongs after an escape from a Florida zoo on New Year's Eve. The wild animal ran off while it was being transported to North Carolina, so it could be bred with another zebra, said Nancy Mitchell of the Shell Factory Zoo. The truck driver taking Ann had pulled over, opened the horse trailer to give her water. And that's when the zebra made her move. The zebra ran through neighborhoods for about an hour before getting caught, Mitchell said. No one was hurt by the zebra. The striped animal was...

<p>An empty vodka bottle was also found in a car used by Amritpal Dhaliwal, 19, and his brother, Kulbir, 23, on the day of the mauling, which left 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. dead, according to the source.</p> <p>The discoveries could be an indication that the brothers may have taunted the 350-pound Siberian tiger before it leapt from its grotto.</p>

Baghdad Zoo is a draw again With the help of U.S. troops, a sanctuary that was damaged and depleted by the onset of the war is revived. By Ann M. Simmons Los Angeles Times Staff Writer December 30, 2007 BAGHDAD — Capt. Amy Cronin never had a pet. Before deploying to Iraq, she didn't even really know much about animals. But in 15 months, Cronin and her unit, the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, have gone from providing logistics and supplies to U.S. troops to helping refurbish an animal clinic, building horse stables and constructing new habitats for bears and porcupines...

Officials at the Oakland Zoo are making plans to raise the height of the wall surrounding its tiger pen in the wake of the deadly tiger attack in San Francisco. Zoo officials say the concrete wall and chain-link fence surrounding the two tigers range from 13.5 to 16 feet, and they're deciding how much higher to raise the wall. the San Francisco Zoo...wall was well below the recommended minimum of 16 feet...

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — As more details emerged about the chaos during a tiger's attack of three young men at the San Francisco Zoo, family and friends mourned the teenager who was killed. About 100 people gathered Saturday outside the San Jose home of Carlos Sousa Jr.'s grandmother for a vigil. Many held candles in cups and were silent as Sousa's father stood on the doorstep in front of two enlarged photos of him and his son. "I would like to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for coming here and honoring my son Carlos....

A koala is kidnapped. Sheep are molested by a human intruder. An elephant does a headstand on a technician, breaking her pelvis. A tiger ravages its keeper's arm. A year later, on Christmas Day, the same feline escapes, kills and gets killed. This is what life can be like at the San Francisco Zoo, a 78-year-old institution saddled with a history of mismanagement and scores of injuries to animals, employees and visitors.... [T]he troubles of the current zoo administration ... began in February 2004 when Manuel Mollinedo became director.... [P]roblems have multiplied and employee morale has plummeted.... "It would appear...

SF Woman Warned Zoo 10 Years Ago Tiger Wall Not High Enough POSTED: 11:56 am PST December 28, 2007 SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco woman has said she warned the city zoo more than 10 years ago that the safety walls at the tiger grotto weren't high enough. She said she was afraid for her safety and that of her 3-year-old 10 years ago. "This whole image came back to me in my brain and I was sick to my stomach actually," said Marian Roth-Cramer. She says she saw a tiger, housed in the same grotto as Tatiana, the...

ZOO THOUGHT TIGER ATTACK WAS FAKE By EMMETT BERG in San Francisco and JAMES FANELLIin New York San Francisco An employee barricaded in the zoo's Terrace Café made the first 911 call at 5:07 p.m., saying that zoo patron Amritpal "Paul" Dhaliwal, 19, was frantically screaming outside. The employee told the dispatcher that Dhaliwal claimed a lone man "was bitten by an exotic animal." The dispatcher relaying the call added, "They do not see any animal missing." Police were immediately dispatched, but subsequent police logs and fire logs showed skepticism over the attack. "Zoo personnel dispatch now say there are...

First zoo worker to report victims' tiger claim didn't believe him By Kim Vo and Mike Swift Mercury News Article Launched: 12/28/2007 04:45:20 PM PST Zoo officials initially thought a San Jose man was "making something up" when he told them a tiger was on the loose and had bitten him, according to a transcript of police dispatch report released Friday afternoon. *** According to the new documents, the 911 call came at 5:08 p.m. Tuesday: "A very agitated male is claiming he was bitten by an animal," the dispatcher said, relaying a call from a cafe worker. "They do...