STILL EMERGENCY TEAMS RESPONDED QUICKLY HOPING TO SAVE NOT JUST
ONE, BUT TWO LIVES.
THIS MORNING A STAR ATTRACTION
AT THE TOPEKA ZOO IS BACK ON
DISPLAY AND A ZOOKEEPER IS LUCKY
TO BE ALIVE FOLLOWING A
TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER.
TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER. >> EVERY ZOO HOPES THEY DON’T GO
THROUGH THIS.
THROUGH THIS. THIS IS THE WORST NIGHTMARE.
>> Reporter: HOLIDAY WEEKEND
CROWDS EAGER TO CATCH A GLIMPSE
OF THE POPULAR TIGER EXHIBIT,
INSTEAD WITNESSING A HORRIFYING
SCENE.
SCENE. SANJIV ATTACKING HIS HANDLER
SATURDAY MORNING.
SATURDAY MORNING. >> WE HAVE STAFF GETTING
ATTACKED BY A TIGER.
>> Reporter: PROMPTING AN
EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND CLOSING
THE PARK FOR 45 MINUTES.
>> STAFF IS STILL IN THE
ENCLOSURE.
ENCLOSURE. THE TIGER IS STILL NEXT TO THEM.
STILL ATTACKING.
STILL ATTACKING. >> Reporter: AS OTHER WORKERS
LURED SANJIV AWAY WITH FOOD.
>> HE MADE A CHOICE TO LEAVE HER
AND GO INSIDE, AND THAT SAVED
HIS LIFE.
HIS LIFE. AND OBVIOUSLY IT SAVED THE
KEEPER’S LIFE AS WELL BECAUSE
ANY BLOW TO HER OR A BITE COULD
HAVE BEEN FATAL.
>> Reporter: THE ZOOKEEPER WAS
TREATED FOR MULTIPLE LACERATIONS
AND PUNCTURE WOUNDS TO HER HEAD,
NECK, BACK AND ARM AND WAS
RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE SHE
REMAINS IN STABLE CONDITION.
ZOO OFFICIALS SAY WHILE
MAINTAINING TIGER HABITATS IS A
DAILY TASK, SANJIV AND HIS
KEEPER SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN IN
THE SPACE AT THE SAME TIME,
STRESSING THE CAT DIDN’T DO
ANYTHING WRONG AND EUTHANIZING
HIM WAS NEVER ON THE TABLE.
>> HE IS A REALLY GREAT TIGER.
I CAN’T STRESS THAT ENOUGH
BECAUSE IT’S A HORRIBLE
SITUATION BUT HE WAS JUST BEING
A TIGER.
A TIGER. >> Reporter: SANJIV CAME FROM AN
OHIO ZOO IN 2017 AS PART OF A
SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN.
ONLY A FEW HYUN SOO MAT RUNS
REMAINING IN THE WILD.
NOW A ZOOKEEPER ON THE MEND AND
A PRIZED TIGER PRESERVED AFTER
AN INCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN
DEADLY FOR BOTH.
>> I WAS VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE
WAY THAT THE STAFF RESPONDED
BECAUSE THEY SAVED THEM.
THERE IS NO IF’S, AND’S, OR
BUT’S.
BUT’S. IT WAS A MIRACLE.
>> Reporter: AS LUCK HASWOULD HA
IT SANJIV IS 20 FEET BEHIND ME.
THE INVESTIGATION INTO THIS
INCIDENT CONTINUES.
INCIDENT CONTINUES. THE CENTRAL QUESTION THAT
OFFICIALS WANT ANSWERS FOR, WHY
DID THIS HAPPEN?
BACK TO YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WE ARE JOINED BY BRENDAN
WILEY, THE DIRECTOR OF THE
TOPEKA ZOO.
TOPEKA ZOO. MR. WILEY, GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING, SAVANNAH.
>> WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU
BEING WITH US ON WHAT’S
OBVIOUSLY A VERY INTENSE TIME
PERIOD AT YOUR ZOO.
FIRST QUESTION, OF COURSE, IS
HOW IS THE ZOOKEEPER DOING THIS
MORNING?
MORNING? WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HER
CONDITION?
CONDITION? >> YOU KNOW, WE DON’T HEAR A LOT
OF DETAILS.
OF DETAILS. WE KNOW THAT SHE WAS MOVED OUT
OF ICU LATE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.
WE ARE TAKING THAT AS A POSITIVE
SIGN.
SIGN. KNOW SHE’S GOT A ROAD AHEAD OF
HER, BUT SHE IS GETTING THE
SUPPORT AND CARE THAT SHE NEEDS.
>> CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH A
LITTLE BIT MORE PRECISELY HOW IT
IS THAT ALL OF THIS HAPPENED ON
SUNDAY AND HOW IT ALSO WAS THAT
SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE AT THE ZOO
MANAGED TO ALERT THE ZOO STAFF?
>> SURE, CRAIG.
WHAT HAPPENED WAS ABOUT 9:15
SATURDAY MORNING IT WAS NOTICED
BY A VISITING GUEST THAT THERE
WAS ONE OF OUR STAFF PEOPLE, A
ZOOKEEPER IN THE SAME SPACE WITH
A TIGER.
A TIGER. THAT’S REALLY A PROCESS FAILURE
HERE THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE
OCCURRED.
OCCURRED. AND THAT SET OFF AN EMERGENCY
KIND OF PROTOCOL THAT WE HAVE
HERE.
HERE. THAT PERSON THAT SAW IT GOT WORD
TO A DIFFERENT ZOOKEEPER WHO
INITIATED OUR EMERGENCY
PROTOCOL.
PROTOCOL. LONG STORY SHORT, WITHIN ABOUT
UNDER TEN MINUTES OTHER
ZOOKEEPERS HERE WERE ABLE TO
CALL THAT TIGER INTO AN
ADJOINING HOLDING AREA, SECURE
THE TIGER, ALLOW EMERGENCY
PERSONNEL IN TO HELP OUR STAFF
PERSON, AND JUST AMAZED THAT IT
RESULTED THAT WAY.
WE COULD BE TALKING ABOUT A MUCH
WORSE STORY THIS MORNING.
>> IT MUST HAVE BEEN TERRIFYING.
WAS THE ZOOKEEPER WHO WAS
INJURED ABLE TO TALK, GIVE ANY
INFORMATION ABOUT HOW IT IS THAT
SHE ENDED UP IN THAT SAME SPACE?
>> YOU KNOW, WE HAVE STARTED AN
INTERNAL INVESTIGATION HERE.
SHE IS THE ONE PERSON THAT WE
HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO TALK TO
JUST YET.
JUST YET. YOU KNOW, OUR SYSTEM FOR
MANAGING TIGERS IS MADE UP OF
PROCESSES.
PROCESSES. WE ARE GOING TO FIND THAT
PROCESS THAT FAILED.
AND EVEN IF IT WAS HUMAN ERROR,
WE ARE GOING TO REWORK THAT
PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT
DOESN’T HAPPEN AGAIN.
BUT AS SOON AS SHE IS READY AND
ABLE WE’LL HAVE THAT
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. BUT FOR RIGHT NOW THINGS ARE
GOING NORMALLY.
GOING NORMALLY. >> BRENDAN, YOU SAID THAT
EUTHANIZING THE TIGER WASN’T AN
OPTION.
OPTION. IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS IN THE
PAST, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. HOW DID YOU GUYS DECIDE IN THIS
PARTICULAR CASE NOT TO EUTHANIZE
SANJIV?
SANJIV? >> WELL, IN THIS CASE WE’RE
WORKING WITH A CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED SPECIES.
ENDANGERED SPECIES. THERE IS LESS THAN 800 OF THESE
TIGERS WORLDWIDE, BOTH IN THE
WILD AND UNDER HUMAN CARE.
THE GENETICS THAT THIS CAT
REPRESENTS ARE JUST INCREDIBLY
VALUABLE, AND THE TIGER DID
NOTHING WRONG.
NOTHING WRONG. ONCE THAT PERSON WAS IN ITS
SPACE, THE TIGER ACTED, DID WHAT
TIGERS DO.
TIGERS DO. AND SO WE’RE GOING TO FIX THE
PROCESS SO THAT THIS NEVER
REPEATS ITSELF, BUT THE TIGER
WAS JUST NEVER A QUESTION TO US.
>> BRENDAN WILEY, WE CERTAINLY
APPRECIATE YOU GETTING UP EARLY
AND TALKING TO US.
OUR BEST TO YOUR ZOOKEEPER.