S.F. Zoo's Big Cats Return Home

After Deadly Christmas Attack, Zoo's Tigers And Lions Sniff Out Their New Barriers

(CBS)  The big cats at the San Francisco Zoo have been away from public view since that fatal Christmas Day attack. This week the lions and tigers - but still not the public - were allowed back to look around and sniff around their new, improved and much more secure home, CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker reports.

"They noticed that things are different," said Bob Jenkins of the San Francisco Zoo. "There's different stuff out there, so we're giving them a few days to get used to it."

The need for the new enclosure became shockingly clear after the tiger named Tatiana jumped the old 33-foot high moat and 13-foot wall, killed one visitor and mauled two others before being shot dead by police.

The old wall was four feet below international zoo standards. The new?

"This probably exceeds what other zoos have done," Jenkins said.

With built up barriers of concrete and glass, the new 19-foot wall is almost three feet taller than the norm. A hot wire surrounds the pen, coursing 8,000 volts of electricity.

"Very strong," Jenkins said. "I don't believe that anything will be able to get out of these enclosures."

The survivors of the attack deny they taunted the tiger; still Dave Weisman, who runs a foundation that rescues abandoned wild animals, says more than the new wall, the best protection is to obey the new signs all around the big cat's pen.

"I wouldn't taunt a tiger like that," said Dave Weisman of the Dax Foundation. "Even with a 30-foot wall."

The tigers and lions seem to be at ease in their new home.

The real test may be later this week when people are allowed back.

[sandyhatton]

Raising the wall seems to be a good compromise between the needs of the animals and the needs of the public to experience these magnificent creatures. Dave Weisman from Dax Foundation is right...a little respect goes a long way.

[Meg003]

Sorry, no way do I value a meat-eating cat over humans. Inevitably these carnivorous animals will have their predatory instincts aroused by something a human does, such as a child running. The zoo must take responsibility for seeing that the animals cannot get out. If a tiger in a private home escaped and killed someone, everyone would blame the private home owner. In this case, people are blaming the victim, but it is the zoo''s fault for not securing these hunting animals from their human prey.

[mollydtt]

I hope that the new visitors are really there to admire the wildlife instead of trying to provoke it.

[sgtrds]

denn034

I''m just sorry the cat didn''t kill the other two and had to be destroyed, rather then proclaimed the hero that it was.

[denn034]

"It''s a shame they had to make the wall higher. The shorter wall allowed the big cats to thin out the gene pool of obnoxious punks."
Posted by SgtRDS

That was funny.

[denn034]

This is good to see.

[hambonehd]

"It''''s a shame they had to make the wall higher. The shorter wall allowed the big cats to thin out the gene pool of obnoxious punks."

HAAAAA !!! LMAO !

[sgtrds]

It''s a shame they had to make the wall higher. The shorter wall allowed the big cats to thin out the gene pool of obnoxious punks.