SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - With the Christmas Day tiger mauling still looming over the San Francisco Zoo, a patron turned in two men who were throwing acorns at a rhinoceros, zoo officials said Friday.

Between 2 and 3 p.m. Thursday, a woman notified the zoo that the men, between 20 and 30 years of age, were throwing what appeared to be acorns at a rhinoceros, according to zoo spokesman Paul Garcia.

Zoo security responded and, after witnessing the men throwing objects at the 6,000-pound animal, called the San Francisco Police Department, Garcia said.

Police officers and animal control officers responded to the zoo and detained the men, according to Garcia. One of the men was cited by the animal control officers for disturbing an animal.

The black rhinoceros did not appear to be affected by the acorns, Garcia said.

“We are happy that the guest took the initiative and contacted us,” Garcia said.

Garcia said he could not remember an instance in which a person had been cited for disturbing animals at the zoo. Before Thursday, he said, unruly patrons were escorted out of the zoo by security.

The woman had called a hot line number that is posted on signs outside the animal exhibits. The signs are a new addition after the fatal tiger mauling on Christmas Day, according to zoo spokeswoman Lora LaMarca. She said the signs have resulted in other calls to the zoo about animals being annoyed, but this was the first serious incident reported.

On Christmas Day, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. was fatally mauled after a Siberian tiger escaped her enclosure. The tiger also mauled brothers Paul Dhaliwal, 19, and Kulbir Dhaliwal, 23.

After the attack, 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.

Since then, the zoo has completed safety improvements to the grottoes, which cost The City an estimated $1.7 million, according to city officials.

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 lines the barrier separating the viewing public from the big cats.

Comments from Examiner Readers

5:35 PM MST on Fri., Mar. 14, 2008 re: "Commission: Zoo should switch focus"

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.

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8:07 AM MST on Fri., Mar. 14, 2008 re: "Commission: Zoo should switch focus"

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?

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8:40 AM MST on Thu., Mar. 13, 2008 re: "Commission: Zoo should switch focus"

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.

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3:22 AM MST on Thu., Mar. 13, 2008 re: "Commission: Zoo should switch focus"

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.

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1:27 PM MST on Sun., Feb. 10, 2008 re: "Zoo experts to analyze safety measures"

Enough! said:
That's enough already from mouthy "critic" Deniz Bolbol! How many "yes" votes?

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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"

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.

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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"

Knot2brite said:
I think maybe the zoo should keep current Director Manuel Mollinedo and fire the offensive co-ordinator!

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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"

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.

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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"

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...

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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"

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."

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