Zoo Story

For a 19-year-old, Roger Dean Adams had drunk quite a lot that day--a dozen beers and some wine, his buddies said. After dark, Adams and two companions sneaked into the Portland, Ore., zoo. He lowered himself into the grizzly bear's grotto, but the bear ignored him. He climbed out and tried the pit occupied by two lions, Caesar and Sis. Sis lunged at Adams, catching him by the feet. He died of a punctured jugular vein.

The next night, someone entered the zoo and killed Caesar and Sis apparently with a .30-06 hunting rifle. The zoo's director, Jack Marks, was appalled at Adams' death and shocked that anyone would have shot the lions in revenge. "The lions reacted as you or I would if someone invaded our home," he said. "An attack on a defenseless animal caged in a zoo is the product of a sick mind." Over $1,000 in spontaneous contributions has come in to the zoo, more than enough to replace the two lions, and another $1,000 has been sent as reward money for the capture of the lions' killer.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.