The president of attraction Jungle Island has been slapped with two misdemeanors by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for the escape last Saturday of a 500-pound Bengal tiger named Mahesh.
Enticed by the sight of an escaped gibbon named Watson, Mahesh sprang from his pen, prompting a terrified public to run for their lives, hiding in buildings throughout the park as staffers worked to coax the animal into his traveling cage.
Both escapees were secured with no injuries to themselves or the public, but the FWC was unamused -- citing Dr. Bern M. Levine with two violations for conditions resulting in the animals’ escapes.
Investigators blamed a pile of mulch in the tiger's escape, saying it effectively lowered the enclosure to below regulation height.
The official cause of the gibbon's escape was listed as human and mechanical error.
Dr. Levine was also given a written warning for failing to notify the FWC when the pair got free. An FWC spokesperson reported it was the Miami-Dade police department who made the call.
The owner of the tiger, Miami resident Bhagavan Antle, was charged with one count of maintaining captive wildlife in an unsafe condition resulting in threats to public safety. (Can we get the FWC on this Lindsay Lohan thing?)
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The maximum penalty for each of the three charges is $500.
Jungle Island reopened their big cat exhibit this weekend, but with two small ligers and without Mahesh. In the meantime, park officials say, they will begin adding several feet of both height and overhang to his pen.
