By Jesse Dungan
June 3, 2008
Traces of marijuana and alcohol were found in the bloodstream of a teenager fatally mauled by a Siberian tiger on Christmas Day at the San Francisco Zoo, according to a toxicology report released by the San Francisco medical examiner’s office.
On Dec. 25, a Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped her grotto at the zoo, killed 17-year-old Carlos Eduardo Sousa Jr., a resident of San Jose, and seriously injured Amritpal Dhalwial, then 19, and Kulbir Dhaliwal, then 23, both of San Jose.
A toxicology report of Sousa that was released Monday indicates that he had recent exposure to both alcohol and marijuana at the time of his death.
Sousa had 6.6 ng/mL of Delta-9 THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, according to the report. The average person’s level of Delta-9 THC decreases to less than 5 ng/mL about two hours after smoking, however that level varies from person to person depending on factors such as the strength of the marijuana and whether or not the person is a frequent user.
Sousa’s blood-alcohol, or ethanol level, was 0.04 percent, according to the report.
Steve Gelman, medical examiner’s office administrator, said today the results indicate that Sousa had recent exposure to marijuana and alcohol, but that he couldn’t determine whether there was any level of impairment at the time of the attack.
The autopsy determined the cause of Sausa’s death to be blunt force injuries of the head and neck, including skull fractures and numerous lacerations to the neck and scalp, due to clawing and bites by the predatory cat.
The Hunger Site
June 4, 2008 at 12:26 am
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