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Big cats, such as lions Jahari and Amanzi, above, were reintroduced to their grottoes Monday for the first time since December’s fatal tiger attack.
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Fifty-four days after a Siberian tiger escaped her grotto at the San Francisco Zoo, killing a young man and mauling his two friends, the big cats once again roamed their enclosures.
Trainers on Sunday released the zoo’s seven remaining lions and tigers from quarantine, where they had been held since the incident.
The four lions and three tigers patrolled the habitat, smelling and marking territory with new scents, to familiarize themselves with the grotto, zoo officials said.
Animal experts at the zoo looked for unusual behavior from the big cats such as excess pacing and inability to rest to indicate stress and anxiety, said Bob Jenkins, director of Animal Care and Conservation at the zoo.
“What they’re exhibiting is their normal behavior,” Jenkins said, as lions and tigers stretched and roared in the background. Jenkins said the zoo hoped to reopen the grottoes to the public by the end of this week with public feedings potentially resuming next week.
The event marked the near completion of safety improvements to the grottoes, which cost The City an estimated $1.7 million, according to Recreation and Park Department spokeswoman Rose Dennis.
It was discovered that the concrete barrier was less than 13-feet tall, when the minimum height suggested by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is 16 feet 4 inches.
The new barrier with added glass panes and wire-meshing brings the height to at least 19 feet from the bottom of the moat, and a “hot wire” with 8,000 volts of electricity running through it — no watts, zoo officials emphasized — lines the barrier separating the viewing public from the big cats.
When the improvements are complete, the hot wire will rim the perimeter, and stainless-steel mesh will replace the current chain-link fencing to better resist the natural salinity of the air caused by the zoo’s proximity to the ocean, Jenkins said.
Since the attack, the remaining felines have been indoors, entertained by movies such as “The Lion King” and hay of various scents. Jenkins said the big cats enjoyed hay scented with cheap perfume the most.
On Christmas Day, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. was fatally mauled after reportedly distracting Tatiana, a Siberian tiger, away from his friend Paul Dhaliwal, 19, whom she was attacking after she escaped. She later mauled 23-year-old Kulbir Dhaliwal, Paul’s brother, as the two waited for emergency help.
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ARTICLE HISTORY 
Comments from Examiner Readers
5:35 PM MST on Fri., Mar. 14, 2008 re: "Commission: Zoo should switch focus"
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8:07 AM MST on Fri., Mar. 14, 2008 re: "Commission: Zoo should switch focus"
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8:40 AM MST on Thu., Mar. 13, 2008 re: "Commission: Zoo should switch focus"
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3:22 AM MST on Thu., Mar. 13, 2008 re: "Commission: Zoo should switch focus"
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1:27 PM MST on Sun., Feb. 10, 2008 re: "Zoo experts to analyze safety measures"
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11:11 PM MST on Sat., Jan. 5, 2008 re: "S.F. Zoo to reopen with new security measure in place"
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5:25 PM MST on Thu., Jan. 3, 2008 re: "S.F. Zoo to reopen with new security measure in place"
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12:35 PM MST on Thu., Jan. 3, 2008 re: "S.F. Zoo to reopen with new security measure in place"
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11:51 AM MST on Thu., Jan. 3, 2008 re: "S.F. Zoo to reopen with new security measure in place"
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10:30 AM MST on Thu., Jan. 3, 2008 re: "S.F. Zoo to reopen with new security measure in place"
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Examiner Reader said:
�Improvements in animal exhibits will drive attendance up (and therefore zoo revenue) more than any other project,� according to the report. -- Well duh!! I don't believe anyone from the zoo has ever said the exhibits are perfect and do not need improvement. Many of the exhibits were built in the late 30's and early 40's and are in dire need of improvement. The big question is -- Where is the money going to come from?!! The City will need to pony up a boatload of money to make all the improvements needed. I don't see that happening anytime soon. In the meantime, the SFZS is doing a great job with the pittance they are getting from the City.
4 agree | 2 disagree
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Enough! said:
What are Bolbol's credentials? She speaks (and speaks and speaks and speaks - Ms. Limelight) like an authority which obviously she is NOT! Enough already! What is her agenda?
3 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The Animal Activists always have an anti-zoo sentiment and will use any incident to take away the one we have in San Francisco . The money it would take to redesign the zoo into a rehab center, plus hiring of expert rehab specialists, would be better off spent improving our zoo. The San Francisco zoo is a lovely place to visit and many citizens to not want to lose it. Let's just make it better.
5 agree | 3 disagree
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Time To Hold Zoo Accountable said:
The Zoo wasted tens of millions of dollars on fancy entrance, conference centers, cafes, concessions and most of the animals are left in cramped, old exhibits. It's time to take care of the animals - good for those who are trying to help the animals - they need all the help they can get. The zoo rep needs to spend a few weeks in the hippo exhibit (yes, that means eating and defecating in the same area) and see how it feels.
4 agree | 5 disagree
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Enough! said:
That's enough already from mouthy "critic" Deniz Bolbol! How many "yes" votes?
32 agree | 33 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
IF these two drunken idiots who provoted the tiger sue the zoo THEN I think the family of the boy who was killed needs to then sue them for that money, be rewarded every penny of it and then take that money and donate it to the zoo to help rebuild animal habitats that are updated and safer.
44 agree | 33 disagree
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Knot2brite said:
I think maybe the zoo should keep current Director Manuel Mollinedo and fire the offensive co-ordinator!
35 agree | 37 disagree
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Juan Pescadino said:
"If zoo security ain't worth a dime, Mollinedo should do time." (from previous Examiner Reader comment). Hey, I like that. It makes sense to go after the money maker. I think I'm gonna wait til we find out more about the zoo before I go back with my kids. Too much risk.
31 agree | 31 disagree
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48 born in sf, kids in Zoo Camp all week prior, said:
Okay so thanks to the drunk idiots, the zoo ( us ) are going to pay for the new rules in many ways not just money... next time some fool idiots yell at the WILD ANIMALS they should be behind bars ( they endanger our lives everyday...
40 agree | 31 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Close the zoo and put Mollinedo behind bars. The zoo and its director run an operation that is unsafe for the four legged inhabitants as well as the two legged ones who come to view them. "If zoo security ain't worth a dime, Mollinedo should do time."
44 agree | 42 disagree
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