SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal investigator says in documents obtained by The Associated Press that a tiger killed by police in 2007 after fatally mauling a teen at the San Francisco Zoo was likely provoked into leaping and clawing out of its enclosure.
The tiger killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. and injured his friends, brothers Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal.
Investigators found the tiger left claw marks etched in the asphalt and claw fragments in the bushes outside its pen. Claw marks were also discovered near the top of the enclosure wall, which was lower than federal safety standards dictate.
The documents, provided to The AP more than three years after a Freedom of Information Act request, offer the first public glimpse into the findings of the federal investigation into the Christmas Day attack.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.