Tatiana The Tiger Slingshot Theory Seemingly Debunked

In the ongoing chaos that is the aftermath of the fatal tiger mauling at the San Francisco Zoo, the plot has thickened, or thinned I guess, depending. ABC7's intrepid rabblerouser Dan Noyes has seemingly debunked the mighty New York Post report, based on an unnamed source, that brothers Amritpal Dhaliwal and Kulbir Dhaliwal were taunting 350-pound Tatiana the Siberian tiger using slingshots prior to her escape and fatal mauling of their companion, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr.:

"Today, we received official word from the San Francisco Police Department. Sgt. Steve Manina told us he checked with inspectors working the case and “there were no slingshots on the kids, in the zoo or ambulances that night.” No slingshots."

Fog City Journal seconds the notion. Meanwhile, another potentially troubling detail of the case, the empty vodka bottle allegedly found in the Dhaliwal brothers' car the day of the mauling -- also reported in the Post -- has been confirmed by the SFPD, but only partially. Alas, they won't say whether it was empty.

The real bone of contention here is whether the tiger was provoked, taunted or otherwise teased by the victims or anyone else -- slingshot or not -- before the attack. Zoo director Manual Mollinedo says yes, though won't point fingers at the vicitms. Witness Jennifer Miller says yes. The cops still say they don't know, and of course the Dhaliwal brothers' attorney Mark Geragos says hell no. So there you have it. Nobody knows nothing.

-- Brian Bernbaum