THE Singapore Zoo will be rolling out a series of new security measures to prevent a recurrence of the incident on Thursday, in which a cleaner who jumped into the white tiger enclosure was killed by the big cats.
Three measures are being discussed: Installing alarms in glass housings that the public can set off, deploying more patrols, and setting up closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras near the exhibits of potentially dangerous animals.
The review of existing procedures was prompted by the death of cleaner Nordin Montong, 32, who managed to get into the enclosure and then provoked the white tigers into attacking him.
If implemented, the new measures aim to ensure a quicker response to similar emergencies.
In Thursday's incident, zoo staff were alerted to Mr Nordin's intrusion when visitors began screaming. They then raised an alarm over walkie-talkies to activate staff to the tiger enclosure. Though about 20 keepers arrived within minutes, they could not prevent the fatal attack.
Yesterday, zoo officials said current measures are sufficient to prevent visitors from getting into serious trouble.
At the white tiger enclosure, for example, thick wooden railings and a plant-bed overhang minimise the chances of a visitor falling into trouble.
The zoo's assistant director, Mr Biswajit Guha, 40, said: 'Even if there is a fall, if the person tries to avoid the tigers, we are confident that we can save him in time.'
What happened on Thursday, he said, was 'an extraordinary situation'.
Another official, Ms Isabel Cheng, the attraction's sales, marketing and communications director, echoed this.
'We cannot account for someone who intentionally scales the railing,' she said.
'We do what we can for careless visitors, but it will be difficult for us to be 100 per cent secure for someone who wants to break into the exhibit.'
She added that there are about 80 staff members patrolling the zoo premises daily, as well as 16 licensed shooters on hand in case of an emergency.
Eight bright green safety boxes full of tools - a gong, a loudhailer, clay balls and a life-preserver ring, among others - are also located across the zoo's grounds.
Keepers hurled some of these items at the white tigers on Thursday in an attempt to distract them from Mr Nordin, with little effect.
Meanwhile, the tragedy has not had an effect on the zoo's popularity.
There was an increase in the number of visitors yesterday. The zoo did not pinpoint the reasons for the rise, but one reason could have been a new exhibit - the 3ha RainForest KidzWorld children's discovery area, which was officially opened yesterday by Temasek Holdings chief executive officer Ho Ching.
Several visitors interviewed by The Straits Times said morbid curiosity was not the reason they were at the zoo.
Some, however, were disappointed that the white tiger enclosure was closed.
Driver Zailani Abdullah, 46, said the extremely rare cats were the main reason he had taken a day's leave to take his two children and wife to the zoo.
He said: 'The tigers are really special with their blue eyes, and my son was looking forward to it.'
Visitors were also unfazed by the attack. Chef Raymond Cheong, who was visiting with his two daughters and niece, said the incident was 'tragic, but a one-off thing'.
