Zoo Intruders: N.Y. Mauling Hits Nerve in S.D.

It’s enough to give an animal keeper the willies.

A couple of times a year, some young prankster will evade the sensitive electronic security fences and around-the-clock patrols at the San Diego Zoo and, bent on mischief, traipse around the 100-acre compound after hours.

Typically, the culprit escapes over a fence, or security guards catch up and turn the intruder over to parents or the police. Nonetheless, zoo officials worry that one day, despite all the precautions, some intruder could stumble into the wrong area.

Such concerns were put into sharp focus Wednesday in the aftermath of a tragedy Tuesday night at a Brooklyn zoo, where an 11-year-old boy was mauled to death by two polar bears when he snuck into their holding pen after closing hours.

At the San Diego Zoo, workers were abuzz with speculation about the incident. “It’s been the talk of the zoo today,� said Jeff Jouett, a spokesman for the facility. “People are discussing the situation in Brooklyn and talking about whether it could happen here.�

Enclosure Not Foolproof

The answer to that question depends on the persistence of an intruder who tried to get into a display area containing one of the zoo’s wild animals. Although officials at the zoo have taken great care to design and construct enclosures that keep the animals inside and visitors outside, nothing is foolproof, Jouett noted.

“We can’t say that it can’t happen here, because it can,� Jouett said. “There’s a human factor involved that is not totally within our control.�

But the San Diego Zoo does take precautions that are decidedly state-of-the-art.

The entire compound is encircled by a high fence that contains electronic sensors, which alert security officers if someone tries to breach the barrier. Uniformed security officers patrol the zoo at all hours, taking care to crisscross the myriad paths to make sure that no intruders are attempting to bother the animals. In addition, numerous signs are posted warning against dangerous animals ranging from powerful elephants to birds that bite.

The animal enclosures are designed to keep both man and beast on their respective side of the fence. Most of the larger animals are kept in open areas that are surrounded by dry, concrete moats and high walls. Visitors are kept away from the shear, 15-foot drop into the animals’ pens by a waist-high fence and a well-trimmed hedge.

Such features are light years ahead of those at the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, where the young boy was mauled Tuesday.

On Wednesday, experts were saying the death of young Juan Perez of Brooklyn might have been prevented had the zoo been better designed. Perez and two companions got into the zoo either by climbing a perimeter fence or crawling through a hole. The three youths then easily evaded the one night watchman on duty.

Although the San Diego Zoo features a dramatically more intricate security system, some plucky intruders occasionally have managed to get inside after closing time.

Snake Stolen

Jouett said prowlers have been known to vault the fences, then scurry away before security guards could arrive. On other occasions, intruders have hidden inside the zoo until after closing time, then emerged to wander amid the animal enclosures.

“It’s a dangerous situation,� Jouett said. “While we do our absolute best and take every reasonable precaution, we still can’t say that something can’t happen here. It’s something we take seriously and feel fortunate that there have not been any injury incidents here after hours.�

Last year, several boys sneaked into the zoo’s reptile house by climbing over a roof and jumping down into an interior courtyard. The youths stole several rosy boas, a benign 5-foot snake native to Southern California.

Although the boys got away unhurt and eventually returned the snakes, Jouett said the episode easily could have turned into a tragedy had one of the intruders leaned against the wire-mesh cage of a cobra or viper and been bitten.

Dangerous snakes and sharp-toothed carnivores are the major concern of zoo officials in such incidents, but Jouett noted that other, seemingly harmless animals can also prove dangerous.

“A kangaroo, if cornered, can deliver a pretty bad kick and hurt somebody,� he said. “Even the cuddly koala bear has claws like an eagle and an extremely fierce bite.�

While after-hour intruders are rare, problems with daily visitors are less so, Jouett said. Some visitors harass the animals or take actions that are downright foolhardy, he said.

For example, zoo personnel must continually warn parents not to hold their children over the fences at the edge of animal enclosures, where they could easily slip out of an adult’s hands and fall into a pen, Jouett said.

“We’ve seen parents put a peanut in their child’s hand and hold the child out so an elephant can get to it,� he said. “They assume the elephant can differentiate between a peanut and the kid’s fingers.�

Such episodes keep zoo employees on their toes, fearful of just the sort of tragedy that occurred in Brooklyn.

“It certainly keeps us from being lulled into a lethargic state,� Jouett said. “It reminds us that there’s a good reason for watching people when they’re in the zoo--and watching for them when they’re not supposed to be here.�