(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-12-26 15:21

Then they saw the second victim. He was about 300 yards away, in front of the Terrace Cafe.

The man was sitting on the ground, blood running from gashes in his head. Tatiana sat next to him. Suddenly, the cat attacked the man again, Mannina said.

The officers started approaching the animal, bearing their handguns. Tatiana started moving in their direction. Several of the officers then fired, killing the animal.

Although no new visitors were let in after 5:00 p.m., the grounds were not scheduled to close until an hour later, and there were between 20 and 25 people still on site when the attacks happened, zoo officials said.

There were five tigers at the zoo — three Sumatrans, and two Siberians. Officials initially worried that four tigers had escaped, but they soon learned that only one had escaped its pen, according to Mannina.

Last December, the animal reached through the cage's iron bars and badly lacerated the zookeeper's arm. The zoo's Lion House was temporarily closed during an investigation.

California's Division of Occupation Safety and Health blamed the zoo for the assault and imposed a $18,000 penalty, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom said in a statement that he was deeply saddened by the incident and said a thorough investigation is under way.

Following last year's attack, the zoo added customized steel mesh over the bars, built in a feeding shoot and increased the distance between the public and the cats.

The zoo will be closed on Wednesday.

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