Tiger kills San Francisco Zoo patron, injures two others

Four tigers escaped their cages at the San Francisco Zoo on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring two others. One tiger was shot and the other three were brought under control, San Francisco Fire Chief Audrey Lee told the San Francisco Chronicle. It was not immediately clear how the tigers escaped. The zoo has been evacuated.

Alerted by frantic calls from the zoo, four officers arrived in two police cars and tracked the tiger to the cafe. The tiger was sitting next to one victim but, when the officers arrived, it resumed its attack.

The animal, a 4-year-old tiger named Tatiana, did not leave the grotto through its only door, zookeepers said. The grotto is surrounded by a 15-foot-wide moat and a 20-foot-high wall.

"The tiger jumped back on top," police Sgt. Steve Mannina said. "The victim had blood on his face."

What a weird thing to happen on Christmas day! This same tiger mauled a keeper's arm nearly off last January. It happened during a routine public feeding- with zoo patrons watching in horror!

Tigers are the most dangerous of the large cats. They are notorious attackers of humans. Tatiana, Rest in Peace.