Police to investigate whether Tatiana the killer tiger was freed by one of its victims

Police are investigating whether Tatiana the killer tiger was lured to freedom by one of its victims.

Investigators are considering the possibility that one of the three boys attacked - one of whom was killed - may have climbed the deadly beasts cage.

They believe he may have then dangled a leg or body part over the moat that kept the big cat from the public - sparking the Christmas Day bloodbath.

Officers' suspicions were sparked by a footprint fond on Tatiana's metal cage. They then believe that the tiger may have latched on to the body part - explaining how the big cat was able to get out of its secure cage.

Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo insisted: "Somebody created a situation that really agitated her and gave her some sort of a method to break out.

"There is no possible way the cat could have made it out of there in a single leap. I would surmise that there was help.

"A couple of feet dangling over the edge could possibly have done it."

Tatiana mauled 17-year-old Carlos Sousa to death - with a savage slash to the throat - before seriously injuring two of his friends nearby.

The boys - brothers aged 19 and 23 - then fled, leaving a trail of blood which officers believe the tiger followed for 300 yards, as the tiger cornered and attacked one of the brothers, four police officers arrived, distracted the animal and shot it dead.

Police Sgt. Neville Gittens said the officers did not want to shoot the animal while she was sitting next to the victim. "I can only imagine the patrons walking around, and suddenly seeing this tiger," he said. "It was probably surreal."

What followed were hours of confusion as police attempted to find other tigers that zookeepers believed might have escaped.

Zoo officials said they are trying to figure out how the 4-year-old Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped from her enclosure shortly after the zoo's 5 p.m. closing time, while there were still many visitors walking around the zoo.

No doors to the grotto had been left ajar, they said. However, Sgt Gittens maintained that there was no reason to think that the victims were taunting the tiger.

The two survivors, who have not been named,were in serious but stable condition Wednesday following surgery at San Francisco General Hospital.

The hunt for the escaped tiger was chaotic, with police and paramedics frantically scrambling through the 1,000-acre zoo grounds to locate victims after discovering Sousa's body.

There are no surveillance cameras pointed at the big cats' grottos, so officers could not find out from zoo guards which animal or animals had escaped.

The lack of cameras also has made it difficult to investigate how the attacks occurred.

New cameras and a metal barrier will now be installed to protect the public from the tigers and lions.

Police were treating the zoo as a crime scene with yellow police tape surrounded the area near the cafe where the animal was slain.