[FEL-L] SF/Cal-OSHA faults zoo for attack

[Gary Breuckman]

SAN FRANCISCO/Cal-OSHA faults zoo for attack
Patricia Yollin, Chronicle Staff Writer

   The San Francisco Zoo is at fault for last December's gruesome
tiger attack on a keeper, according to a probe by the state's
workplace safety agency.

   "It was obvious that any of the cats could reach through or under
the bars and that a potential hazard zone extended approximately 18
inches from the cage face," concluded the report by California's
Division of Occupation Safety and Health.

   Lori Komejan was mauled by Tatiana, a 350-pound Siberian tiger, on
the afternoon of Dec. 22 -- exactly six months ago -- as dozens of
horrified visitors watched. The incident occurred inside the Lion
House after a routine public feeding of the big cats.

   "The flesh was torn from her right arm," said Cal-OSHA spokesman
Dean Fryer in a phone interview Thursday. "It was peeled off, similar
to peeling off a glove."

   The investigation said zoo officials were aware that hazardous
conditions existed at the Lion House, closed since Komejan was
injured. Cal-OSHA ordered changes -- which already have been made --
in the setup of the cages and wants to impose an $18,000 penalty,
which the zoo can appeal.

   On Thursday, the zoo issued a brief statement about the probe.
"The Zoo just received this document and we will take the next few
days to review the information," it said.

   Investigators could not speak with Komejan, who spent weeks in San
Francisco General Hospital and underwent several surgeries. The
report said her injuries were initially too severe to permit an
interview. Later, the 46-year-old Peninsula resident, an accomplished
artist, declined to talk because she had filed a legal claim.

   The Cal-OSHA report, finalized on Wednesday, said that, just
before the attack last December, Tatiana was exhibiting behavior
focused on an object in the drain trough outside the cage face and
that a piece of meat might have fallen into it during the feeding.

   "The injured made a hand gesture and talked to the tiger," the
report said. "The injured then reached into the drain trough to
retrieve the item which was in the hazard zone. At this point, the
tiger reached under the cage bars and grabbed the right arm of the
injured with its paws.

   "The injured tried to get the tiger to release by using her left
hand, at which point the tiger then grabbed the left arm. The tiger
had put the right hand of the injured in its mouth, and using its
retractile claws, pulled her arms into the cage, resulting in
lacerations to the left arm and degloving of the right forearm."

   Komejan screamed, attracting the attention of animal keeper Thomas
Knight -- who'd been assisting her during the feeding -- as well as a
zoo security officer, an emergency medical technician visiting the
Lion House and another zoo patron, according to the report. All four
men came to her aid.

   At that point, both of Komejan's arms were under the cage and her
face was against the cage bars, the probe found. Knight grabbed a
long-handled squeegee and struck Tatiana in the face, forcing the 3
1/2-year-old Siberian to finally release her grip on the keeper.

   "The hazard of the great cats being able to reach through and/or
under the bars of the cages had been known to the employer for some
time," the report said, citing a Lion House operations manual.

   Investigators found that the zoo was also remiss because employees
were not trained in procedures that would ensure safety and
compliance, such as a buddy system, or the use of specialized
equipment -- for example, extension tools, noise devices or repellent
sprays.

   Generations of zoo goers have watched the public feedings in the
Lion House since the exhibit hall opened in 1940. The public security
rail was only 3 feet from the cages housing the lions and tigers.

   In an interview with the Chronicle on May 31, the zoo's executive
director, Manuel Mollinedo, said that the Lion House would reopen
within 30 days.

   "They put in a latched door that locks down," Fryer said. "When
they need access, they can open it and pass the food through."

   He said Cal-OSHA investigators talked to animal trainers at the
San Diego Zoo, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo and the Oakland
Zoo to understand how their facilities worked.

   "Other zoos routinely ensure that all openings in the cages are
closed up," Fryer said.

   E-mail Patricia Yollin at pyollin at sfchronicle.com