Police in California are trying to determine if "human involvement" led to a deadly tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo.
A 136-kilogram Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped from a high-walled pen on Christmas Day, killing one man and mauling two others.
Police Chief Heather Fong confirmed Wednesday that they had opened a criminal investigation to "determine if there was human involvement in the tiger getting out or if the tiger was able to get out on its own."
Robert Jenkins, the zoo's director of animal care and conservation, said the tiger did not escape through an open door.
However, he could not explain how the animal escaped from its enclosure, which is surrounded by a 4.5-metre moat and six-metre-high walls.
"There was no way out through the door,'' Jenkins told The Associated Press. "The animal appears to have climbed or otherwise leapt out of the enclosure.''
TV personality Jack Hanna, former director of the Columbus Zoo, said it would be "virtually impossible" for the tiger to leap out of its cage unaided.
"There's something going on here. It just doesn't feel right to me," he said. "It just doesn't add up to me."
Police said they were treating the site as a crime scene in order to make sure their investigation is thorough. They have not ruled anything out -- including whether the escaped was aided by human carelessness or by a deliberate act.
Fong would not comment on whether the animal was taunted.
Jamie Drogan, the animal care manager at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, said it's a surprise that any tiger would be able to escape its pen without explanation.
He told Â鶹´«Ã½net that it was doubtful the tiger could leap out of the pen in order to attack someone who was taunting it.
"There is no question that taunting an animal like that is not doing the tiger or yourself any favours," he said. "But there must be something else in play as well for that tiger to be able to get out."
Victim identified
The victim of the deadly attack has been identified as 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. of San Jose.
San Francisco General Hospital's Dr. Rochelle Dicker told reporters on Wednesday that the two recovering victims -- ages 19 and 23 -- were in good spirits.
"Our two victims, I'm happy to report, are doing very well right now," she said. "They are in very stable condition. They rested overnight after they were taken to the operating room for cleaning and closure of their wounds."
Overnight, police used thermal imaging equipment and searchlights to search the zoo grounds for other possible victims.
The female tiger first attacked and killed Sousa right outside her enclosure around 5 p.m. local time.
Four responding officers then found Tatiana about 300 metres away, sitting next to a man who had blood running out of gashes in his head.
Suddenly, the tiger attacked the man again.
As the officers approached the tiger, she began to move in their direction. At that point, several officers fired their weapons, killing the animal.
The officers then discovered a third victim.
On Dec. 22, 2006, Tatiana reached through her cage's iron bars and attacked a keeper's arm. The assault was blamed on the zoo and the facility was fined $18,000.
With files from The Associated Press
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