By IANS
New York : Police believe that the two Indian Americans mauled by a tiger in the San Francisco zoo on Christmas day had taunted the cat by yelling and waiving at it, but they are not pressing any charges as yet.
Paul Dhaliwal, 19, was severely injured when the 250-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana clawed its way up the wall of its enclosure, leapt out and mauled him. His brother Kulbir, 24, was also injured and their friend Carlos Sousa Junior, 17, died after the attack. The police shot the tiger after the attack.
Paul told Sousa’s father that while the three climbed the three-foot tall railing and tried to get the tiger’s attention, they never threw or dangled anything into the pen, according to a search warrant affidavit filed Thursday.
The tiger “may have been taunted or agitated by its eventual victims”, the affidavit said, adding that “this factor contributed to the tiger escaping from its enclosure and attacking its victims”.
All three victims had marijuana in their systems and Paul’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit for driving, according to the affidavit.
The Dhaliwals’ lawyer, Mark Geragos, said the police have presented no evidence of a crime and that the affidavit has not specified any possible counts.
A criminal defence attorney in Los Angeles who has followed the case said investigators could be pursuing misdemeanour charges related to possessing marijuana, trespassing or giving alcohol to a minor.
Experts quoted in the media believe taunting of animals is a routine thing at zoos and the San Francisco zoo cannot escape blame for not taking adequate measures to prevent such tragedies.