Tigers appear safe and secure at Folsom Zoo

Alone in front of the tiger cage at the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary on a chilly winter morning last week, I felt as though I were watching a couple of kittens at play. Misty greeted me warmly, rubbing against her cage as though I was about to set down a bowlful of Meow Mix for her breakfast.A few moments later, with Misty contently perched in a corner lying playfully on her back, her roommate Pouncer came to the front of the cage to take a closer look at the visitor.Pouncer also gently rubbed against the cage, again displaying housecat-like tendencies.I walked nearer the corner where Misty was lounging, ignoring Pouncer.By the time I headed back toward the midpoint of the viewing area for the tigers, I no longer saw Pouncer. Then I spotted the eye of the 294-pound tiger. She was crouched low behind a wall of rock.Suddenly, in one fluid motion, she pounced toward me as though I were prey. In that surreal moment, my heart jumped into my throat.In retrospect, Pouncer's sudden movement seemed more playful than aggressive.Still, I never want to be close enough to find out.In the wake of last week's tiger mauling at the San Francisco Zoo where a teenage boy was killed and two young men were hospitalized, I was curious as to the safety of the Folsom Zoo tiger cage.From my observations, an incident such as the one that happened in San Francisco is a virtual impossibility at the Folsom Zoo.The big difference between Folsom and San Francisco's tiger cage is that Folsom's cage is completely enclosed with a roof whereas San Francisco's tiger enclosure is surrounded by a wide moat and high walls but open-air. According to reports from zoo employees in San Francisco, the big cat did not leave through an open door.There is strict procedure for locking entry gates at all zoos. "When I feed the tigers, I double- and triple-check the locks every time. That's how we are taught," said Amy Van der Molen, zookeeper #2 in Folsom. "No matter what, you have to respect the animals. A lot of people who visit the zoo have the misconception that the animals are our pets. But no matter how gentle they seem, they are still wild animals."About the only way a tiger could escape in Folsom is through blatant human error such as leaving two gates open or unlocked."There's no way to absolutely guarantee any animals won't ever get out," said Jill Lute, acting zoo manager in Folsom. "Things can go wrong. We just hope they never do."It's standard procedure for all employees at the zoo to double-check locks. I physically pull on the locks to make sure they are locked."Lute said the last animal to escape from an enclosure at the Folsom Zoo was a black bear, and that was at least 10 years ago. Nobody was injured by the bear. In fact, Fisher was recaptured and still resides at the Folsom Zoo.Telegraph editor Tim Menicutchcan be reached at timm@goldcountrymedia.com,or post a comment at folsomtelegraph.com