Tiger Escapes S.F. Zoo Cage and Kills 1

SAN FRANCISCO – A tiger escaped its cage at the San Francisco Zoo on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring two others, a newspaper reported.

The tiger was shot, San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Lt. Ken Smith told the San Francisco Chronicle. It was not immediately clear how the tiger escaped.

The zoo, which had been scheduled to close at 5 p.m. PST, was evacuated.

It was unclear whether the victim was a visitor or a zoo worker.

Police officers and firefighters are investigating.

Officials at first worried that four tigers had escaped, but only one escaped its pen, Smith said.

Last December, one of the zoo’s tigers mauled a zookeeper during a regular public feeding. The 350-pound animal reached through the cage’s iron bars and badly lacerated her arm. The zoo’s Lion House was temporarily closed during an investigation.