SAN FRANCISCO - TWO brothers who survived a tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo that killed a third man have sued the zoo and others in federal court.

Mr Kulbir and Mr Amritpal Dhaliwal filed the suit last week against the city and county of San Francisco, the police department, the zoo and a public relations firm hired by the zoo in the days after the attack on Christmas Day.

Their friend, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr, was killed when a Siberian tiger escaped its enclosure and mauled the three.

The Dhaliwals' suit says the tiger enclosure was lower than recommended national standards. It also claims that the zoo started a smear campaign against the Dhaliwal brothers following the attacks.

San Francisco police spent more than a month investigating the maulings while weighing whether to seek criminal charges against the Dhaliwals.

The lead investigator said in January the tiger 'may have been taunted/agitated by its eventual victims,' but the department suspended its investigation without recommending any charges.

Mr Sousa's family also has filed a claim, which was rejected by the city attorney's office. If the two sides do not settle, the family has until the end of the year to file a lawsuit. -- AP