In ambulance, survivors of S.F. tiger attack made pact of silence S.F. ZOO TIGER ATTACK

Photo: Kim Komenich, The Chronicle Photo: Kim Komenich, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close In ambulance, survivors of S.F. tiger attack made pact of silence 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Soon after their 17-year-old friend was mauled to death by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo, the two brothers who survived the attack made a quick pact not to cooperate with the police as they rode in an ambulance to the hospital, sources told The Chronicle.

"Don't tell them what we did," paramedics heard 23-year-old Kulbir Dhaliwal tell his brother, Paul, 19.

Sources also say that the younger brother was intoxicated at the time of the incident, having used marijuana and consumed enough liquor to have a blood-alcohol level above the .08 limit for adult drivers. The older brother also had been drinking and using marijuana around the time a 350-pound Siberian tiger escaped and killed Carlos Sousa Jr., the sources said.

The brothers' initial refusal to cooperate has frustrated authorities in the days after the Christmas Day attack as investigators attempt to find out what might have precipitated it.

On Friday, the San Francisco city attorney fired off a letter to the brothers' attorney, saying that the San Jose men have refused to let police see any photos or calls they might have made using their cell phones.

Although the police still possess the cell phones and have impounded the brothers' car, city attorney spokesman Matt Dorsey said that without the Dhaliwals' permission, police cannot legally search the items as potential evidence. Among the items police say they have spotted in the car is an empty vodka bottle.

In the letter to the brothers' attorney, Mark Geragos, City Attorney Dennis Herrera asked that any evidence, including the records of calls and cell phone photos, be preserved. Herrera suggested that experts working for the brothers be allowed to inspect the cell phones and car at the same time as investigators from his office.

Geragos could not be reached for comment late Friday, although he has repeatedly denied that the brothers taunted the tigers. A witness told The Chronicle this week that she spotted the young men teasing the lions in the big-cat grotto shortly before the attack.

Geragos has also previously said that he would await the outcome of tests to comment on any alcohol use.

The Dhaliwals have given an account of what occurred that evening through their attorney, saying they tried frantically for more than 30 minutes to get help from reluctant zoo officials. One cafe worker would not open the door for them, and a zoo staffer driving a golf cart was "diffident," Geragos said.

Police have said that since the attack, the brothers have given authorities partial accounts of what occurred.

Meanwhile, zoo officials said late Friday they've discovered that other exhibits don't meet national safety standards.

Zoo officials conceded last week that a moat wall at the tiger enclosure is only 12 1/2 feet high - 4 feet shorter than recommended. Work is being done to raise the wall.

The wall at the polar bear exhibit also is too short, the zoo said in a statement released late Friday. Work is under way to install a chain-link fence that will raise the wall of the enclosure to 16 feet - a height that satisfies guidelines of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Also Friday, zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo said his staff is working with police to create a coordinated emergency response for any future animal incidents.

Fire and police dispatch logs from Christmas night show that emergency crews were forced to wait outside the zoo after Sousa was mauled because zoo security guards were enforcing an emergency lockdown. Authorities were also hampered by a lack of emergency lighting and an absence of maps of the grounds.

Since then, the zoo has provided police at Taraval Station with maps and keys to the facility, Mollinedo said. He said he also has talked to Police Chief Heather Fong about zoo employees and officers doing gun training together.

"We have to at least work with them if they are going to assist us in the future, if something tragic like this occurs again. We have to train them where to shoot specific animals and know what types of weapons to use in case that does happen," Mollinedo said.

Police also have been invited to visit the zoo during the day so officers can familiarize themselves with the trails there, Mollinedo said.

The zoo reopened Thursday after being closed for nine days. It was closed again Friday because of storm damage but is expected to open Saturday.

Online resources

Read City Attorney Dennis Herrera's letter:

www.sfgate.com/ZBYY