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Tiger Goes on Deadly Rampage; Girl, 13, Survives Fatal Plane Crash; Retailers Hope for Post-Christmas Surge

Aired December 26, 2007 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Beautiful, powerful and wild. Tatiana, the Siberian tiger, was also resourceful and had a taste for blood.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: A year after this tiger mauled a keeper at the San Francisco Zoo, it went on a deadly rampage. And how it got out is still a mystery.

Hi, there. I'm Brianna Keilar at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Kyra Phillips is away today.

LEMON: It's really unbelievable story a how this tiger got out.

KEILAR: It really is.

LEMON: OK. I'm Don Lemon. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And that is our top story today. The San Francisco Zoo is closed today while investigators retrace the steps of a tiger who mauled three people on Christmas. One of the victims is dead.

Now at issue is how the big cat got out of its enclosure and how long it was on the prowl.

Let's go straight to the San Francisco Zoo now and CNN's Dan Simon.

Dan, they -- have they found any clues on how this tiger got loose? It certainly is a mystery at this point.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a total mystery, Don. We have no idea how, in fact, that tiger got out of that enclosure, the enclosure that's surrounded by a 15-foot wide moat and a 20-foot- long wall. How that tiger got over the wall, we just don't know.

According to zoo officials, the operating theory is that it somehow was able to get over its exhibit, literally hop over.

Don, let me address something that we've been hearing within the past hour. There have been certain media reports suggesting that the three men somehow taunted this tiger prior to the attack.

Well, I just talked to the public information officer with the San Francisco Police Department. He says those reports are totally untrue. There is no evidence at this time to suggest that those three men may have taunted this tiger. Let me tell you where things stand right now. We saw some police officers about an hour and a half ago. They were on motorcycle. They came into the zoo. They're searching the general area. This is 100 and -- 150-acre zoo. They're looking in various parts to see if, in fact, there might be some more victims inside.

This is just a precautionary move. They don't think that there are any more victims inside. But of course, this happened at about 5 p.m. last night. It got dark very quickly. So, they weren't really able to search the whole area. They did, however, send up their helicopters last night, use some thermal energy and did not see any more additional victims inside the zoo.

Meanwhile, as you know, three people were targeted by this tiger. One person died right outside of the enclosure. Two other people were attacked. We are told those two are actually in very good condition.

A short while ago, the doctor at the hospital gave a press conference. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROCHELLE DICKER, SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL HOSPITAL: Our two victims, I'm happy to report, are doing very well right now. They are in very stable condition. They rested overnight after they were taken to the operating room for a cleaning and closure of their wounds.

Right now, I can tell you that they're in good spirits and they look absolutely fantastic. They have youth going for them and a lot of good health behind them when they first came in here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Don, we're still waiting to find out if, in fact, there was surveillance video cameras inside the zoo that may have captured what unfolded. We're still waiting to hear from investigators in terms of if they're able to find or see some of that footage.

Meanwhile, the zoo was about to close. The zoo normally closes at 6 p.m. You would think some people might have home video cameras, things of that nature. They have not received anything like that at this point. Obviously, they're asking people to come forward, people who may have seen something, either witnessed something or may have something on camera to come forward and present that to the police -- Don.

LEMON: CNN's Dan Simon on top of this story.

I want to tell our viewers, Dan, that Dave Salmoni lived among tigers. He is the tiger expert. He's going to join us right here in the CNN NEWSROOM at the bottom of the hour to give us some perspective -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Hopeful news this hour for the American girl who survived a plane crash in Panama. The crash killed the girl's friend and the friend's father, as you can see here, these two. The father was a California businessman, as well. The plane's pilot, the pilot of the small plane, died.

CNN's Kara Finnstrom is in the girl's home town, Santa Barbara, California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA FINNSTROM, SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA: Some very encouraging news coming out of Panama right now about the sole survivor of that plane crash that killed three people.

Rescuers are saying that 13-year-old Francesca Lewis was able to walk away from the site of this plane crash. And as they describe that sight, they say this plane was actually broken up into small pieces.

They also say that she had a broken arm. She's suffering from some hypothermia and she's now being treated in a hospital in the Panama area.

Some other good news is that her parents, the Associated Press is now reporting, are in the Panama area and that they have been able to speak with their daughter by phone.

Now, Francesca Lewis was on a plane with the Klein family. They were vacationing in the area when a plane went down, a small Cessna on Sunday. Rescuers actually searched for that plane for nearly three days, combing this mountain, this area.

The Klein family, both Talia, the daughter, who was 13 years old, and Michael, both died in that plane crash along with the pilot of that plane. And this community, which knows the family very well, is mourning the loss of those two at this hour. But they are also celebrating an incredible survival story, this girl who apparently just walked away from this plane crash.

Kara Finnstrom, for CNN, Santa Barbara, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Nasty weather is hitting several parts of the country today on, of course, another big travel day. Let's go ahead and check in with Chad Myers. He's in the CNN weather center.

Hi, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: OK. I'll take it.

MYERS: Yes, OK. Either way.

LEMON: Brianna was nice enough to toss to you...

MYERS: I know.

LEMON: ... and you're going to toss to me instead of her. KEILAR: We can share this.

LEMON: She is feeling...

KEILAR: 'Tis the season.

LEMON: Are you feeling slighted?

KEILAR: No, not at all.

LEMON: See how nice she is, Chad Myers.

KEILAR: Thank you very much.

LEMON: Oh, boy. You're a bad guy. Thank you.

Maybe Chad didn't get any presents, since he's not being nice. But the presents, they are opened, and the stockings unstuffed and, of course, all of us are stuffed. I am stuffed.

Christmas is so yesterday. Retailers, though, are reluctant to wrap up the holiday shopping season. And they're doing their best to lure you into the stores to buy more instead of returning.

CNN's Ali Velshi is live in New York, New York. And Arwa Damon is in London, two real shopping Meccas, both of them.

And hello to you, Arwa.

And happy Boxing Day, by the way, to you, Ali, eh?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Eh!

LEMON: Eh?

VELSHI: Growing up in Canada, Don, this feels like hoe. I mean, people getting up before dawn on the day after Christmas to go shopping. You open up the newspapers today, look at the sales. And that's partially because they didn't do as well over the holiday shopping season.

We've been waiting for those numbers to come in. And that's what's going on, Don. We've seen a weaker shopping season this year. We've seen less growth over the previous year than we have in about four or five years. So the retailers are cutting those prices. They've got two problems. One is they've got to move inventory.

And No. 2, $26 billion in gift cards, Don. They've got to get you into those malls and get you talking about things you want to buy, not gifts for other people. So it's going to be pretty busy in the malls for the next few days.

LEMON: Did you say $26 billion?

VELSHI: Billion with a "B."

LEMON: We could wipe out, like, hunger in the U.S. with that.

VELSHI: Yes. And, unfortunately, people are going to wipe out those gift-card balances pretty quickly.

LEMON: Yes.

VELSHI: Most of those gift cards get bought -- get spent in January. But that's a big shift from previous years, where all the buying was done beforehand.

LEMON: Yes.

VELSHI: Now, with that many gift cards, people go and buy their own stuff this week.

LEMON: Hey, I've got to -- I've got to -- seriously, though, we could wipe out a good bit of hunger with $26 billion.

VELSHI: Yes.

LEMON: I've got to ask you this, though: so if sales are up -- you said they're up 2.4 percent.

VELSHI: Yes.

LEMON: How bad can that be? I mean, they're up.

VELSHI: They're up.

LEMON: They're not down at least.

VELSHI: You're right. It's up. It's not down. Last year, for instance, there was a 6.6 percent gain over the previous year. So, you know, people are worried about the fact that people are not -- American consumers are not spending enough.

But you're right; we're not negative. It's not like we spent less, except for in one major category, and that is women's clothing. For some reason, that was actually lower than it was last year. That may have less to do with the economy and gas, Don, than it has to be do with the fact that maybe the stuff wasn't as good. Maybe it didn't drive people to make that purchase.

LEMON: Yes. And you know, back to these gift cards, I've got to tell you, I'm sure the retailers love them, because if you don't use them, then you sort of lose it. And then it extends the shopping season, doesn't it?

VELSHI: It absolutely does. And most places, if you get a $50 gift card, you're going to -- not want to walk out of there with change. So you're probably going to spend more than the initial purchase.

If somebody spent $50 on a gift for you, you're probably going to spend $60 or $70 on that. So it's -- it's actually a benefit for the retailers. What it means is that we won't really know until next week or beyond how good or bad this holiday shopping season actually was.

LEMON: OK. And, you know, I always say I'm kind of Pollyanna when it comes to this, but maybe it's just, you know, people who are getting closer to their families instead of spending money. But is it the economy? Is it gas prices? Is it home mortgages or maybe the must-have stuff just wasn't there? Or was it just a boring shopping season?

VELSHI: I like to think it's what you said: people wanting to spend more time with their families. But in truth, it's probably all of that stuff. But there wasn't a must-have. I mean, even though the Wii was hard to get this year, it was last year's product.

LEMON: Yes.

VELSHI: IPhones and the iPods came out in the summer. Lot of DVDs, lots of GPS's, lot of videogames, and things like that. But no one single must-have thing in each category. And that's probably part of it. The excitement is just not there.

LEMON: OK. So can you say it for me like a good, you know, Canadian person, born and bred? Eh?

VELSHI: Eh?

LEMON: Good shopping season, eh?

VELSHI: Great shopping season, eh?

LEMON: All right. Thank you. Happy Boxing Day again to you.

VELSHI: And to you.

LEMON: All right.

Well, let's go an ocean away. But they're still in the same boat. British retailers also doing heavy, heavy discounting today. Arwa Damon is in London, and have you found any deals there? And they do celebrate Boxing there -- Boxing Day there, as well, don't they, Arwa?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, they most definitely do, Don.

We're actually right around the corner from Oxford Street, which is the main shopping street here. And I can tell you, it is packed. Sales here up to 75 percent off, mainly on women's items. So it's a lucky day for all of the lady shoppers who are out there.

Now, we were on Oxford Street earlier. And you can barely navigate through the street, never mind trying to go into one of the stores. I went into one. It lasted for all of about five seconds and, like, barely even made it inside. So there has been this massive shopping frontier, people lining up hours before the stores actually opened. Not just here, but also in Australia, rushing in, trying to look for those good deals. There was some concern that perhaps people weren't spending as much as they have been over the past holiday season, concerns they were being a bit more picky about how they spent their money, but really, none of that seeming to be apparent today.

A lot of people, even though they are complaining about the crowds, are still loving the sales that are going on, really enjoying themselves, going out there, going shopping, wanting to get out of the house, maybe even wanting to spend some time away from their families and trying to get out there and really make the most of it.

LEMON: CNN's Arwa Damon in London. Arwa, enjoy the deals, if you can, because the pound, the euro is really high at this point.

DAMON: I know.

LEMON: All right. Take care. Happy Boxing Day again.

DAMON: Thank you. You, too.

KEILAR: Want to get you now to some live photos, some live pictures we have coming out of Beverly, Massachusetts, from our affiliate WHDH. This is the scene of what appears to be a three-alarm apartment fire.

There is a building. You can see a "for rent" sign on the front. Beverly, just to give you a sense of where Beverly, Massachusetts, is, this is about 20 miles northeast of Boston on the North Shore.

And, again, this is a three-alarm fire. We see some stretchers out there. But it's difficult to determine at this point if anyone was injured. But as you can see, a lot of smoke, a lot of destruction.

This three-alarm fire, again, in Beverly, Massachusetts, about 20 miles northeast of Boston. As we get more details, we will bring them to you.

Meanwhile, a deadly tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo. What to do if a big cat goes after you.

LEMON: And a big fight over Kwanzaa. It's happening in Tennessee. Why a court clerk claims he's the victim of religious discrimination.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: On patrol with General David Petraeus. Visiting the troops in the outer reaches of Iraq.

LEMON: Also, details on our developing story, a three-alarm fire. Look, it's happening in Boston. What are the details; how did it start; and how far along are they with getting it put out?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It is 1:17 here in the east. And here are three of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Right now investigators are combing the grounds of the closed San Francisco Zoo, trying to figure out how a tiger got out of its enclosure on Christmas day. The 300-pound tiger killed one man, injured two others before police gunned it down. The two injured men are now recovering.

And Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is hoping for a happy ending to long-running negotiations to free three hostages. They have been held for years now by rebels in Colombia, but Chavez says they could be freed soon if the Colombian government approves a plan for their release.

And retailers are hopping for a post-Christmas boom after a bust of a holiday shopping season. That's because Americans are set to cash in $60 billion worth of gift cards.

And we want to get you now to some pictures we have in. These are live photos, live pictures coming from Beverly, Massachusetts, our Boston affiliate, WHDH.

This is an apartment building. It appears to be about three, possibly four stories. This is a three-alarm blaze. As you can make out, there are several fire engines that are responding to this fire. Word right now is that there are no injuries.

And just to give you a sense of where this is happening, Beverly, Massachusetts, it's about 20 miles northeast of Boston on the North Shore. Again, a three-alarm fire, but at this point no injuries. And we will bring you the latest details as we get them in.

LEMON: Absolutely.

We want to move on now, talk about news overseas, specifically in Turkey, on the attack again in northern Iraq. An Iraqi Kurdish spokesperson says Turkish warplanes bombed two deserted villages today. No civilian casualties to report here.

Now just yesterday, Turkey said it killed as many as 175 Kurdish militants, maybe more in strikes earlier this month. Turkey blames the militants for cross-border attacks on southern Turkey, the site of a long-running Kurdish rebel movement.

Now, the U.S. considers the rebels -- consider the rebels a terrorist group, but officials also worry the air strikes could destabilize northern Iraq.

In a dusty U.S. outpost in a far-flung corner of Iraq, it's easy to feel cut off, even forgotten sometimes, but not on Christmas. The big day brought a big gun, the top commander of coalition forces, and CNN's Harris Whitbeck rode along.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the military's newest and most advanced helicopters flew General David Petraeus to the farthest flung corners of his area of operations.

He wanted to spend Christmas day with the troops. Just a few miles from the border between Iraq and Syria, he shared a holiday breakfast and told troops, while they have made great progress in Iraq, there is still work to be done.

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES IN IRAQ: It's also a message that there are hard days and tough weeks and months ahead still. Yes, a lot of the trends are positive that al Qaeda remains very lethal, very dangerous, still trying to carry out acts of indiscriminate violence.

I also want to thank your families.

WHITBECK: It is not often high-ranking generals visit these combat outposts. Many are small and seemingly off the radar screen.

(on camera) As remote as these outposts may be, they are extremely important to the current U.S. military effort. Because of their proximity to the border with Syria, they're heavily involved in stopping the flow of smuggled weapons and foreign fighters.

(voice-over) Petraeus told his troops that type of work, interdiction and intelligence gathering, will be crucial in the weeks and months to come.

PETRAEUS: There will be ups and downs. Again, al Qaeda is a boxer who's been knocked to the canvas but continues to come off the canvas and still has a very powerful right hand. And will continue to try to carry out indiscriminate acts of violence.

WHITBECK: Just miles from one of the outposts visited by Petraeus, in the city of Baqubah, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the funeral for the local leader of a concerned citizens' council, the civilian self defense groups widely credited with having been a factor in the diminishing levels of violence in the country.

PETRAEUS: It reflects the importance that al Qaeda attaches to them. They know that, if the local population is successful in turning against them and being able to secure themselves, that the same will happen to them that happened in Anbar province and a number of Baghdad neighborhoods and belts around Baghdad. Al Qaeda has been pushed farther and farther from Baghdad.

WHITBECK: Petraeus wants to make sure this holiday his troops will remain motivated to continue that fight.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, on combat outpost Northson (ph), Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: He plays with them, rolls around with them, almost treats them like pets. So in light of the recent tiger attack in San Francisco, we'll be talking with Animal Planet expert Dave Salmoni.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, Christmas is over, but retailers are not yet ready to close the books on holiday sales season. Ali Velshi will join us in just a moment on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE SALMONI, ANIMAL PLANET EXPERT ON TIGERS: I sometimes get asked, what do you do when you see a tiger in the wild? One thing is you...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Yes, Christmas is over, but retailers aren't yet ready to close the books on holiday season sales. What about home prices? More "bah, humbug" there?

Ali Velshi -- there he is -- at the New York Stock Exchange with that and a check of some falling home prices.

Hi, Ali.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

KEILAR: All right, and I think I've come up with a new name for your segment.

VELSHI: Was it?

KEILAR: Bah Humbug Boxing Day Business with Ali Velshi.

VELSHI: Bah Humbug Boxing Day Business. You know, sometimes I have good news.

KEILAR: No, you do, often. And you deliver it so well. We really appreciate it, Ali.

VELSHI: My pleasure.

KEILAR: Have a good one.

VELSHI: OK.

LEMON: Hey Ali, I got a quick question for you. What about electronics sales, are they stronger this year?

VELSHI: They were up. They were up, but not as much as they should have been -- about 2.7 percent. You know why, because last year, we did all the selling of the flat screens, the Wii. It was hard to get, but there weren't -- it's old news. DVDs, videos and guess what -- the big seller, the surprise seller of the year was GPS -- those little GPS units. LEMON: Oh, OK, all right, no Wiis. Nobody, you know ...

VELSHI: Yes, I mean, they were there, but they were hard to get. Everybody, you know, you couldn't get as many of them as you would like or you couldn't get them as readily as you would have liked.

LEMON: OK, bah humbug, Ali. Thank you. We'll check back in with you.

Meantime, we have some developing news to tell you about. You're looking at live pictures now from our affiliate WHDH. This is in Beverly, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, about 20 miles northeast of Boston. And this was a fire, a three to four-alarm blaze, we're told. Three-alarm blaze in a three to four-story apartment building. We have no reports of any injuries yet. This is according, again, to our affiliates there.

These are pictures that were fed into the CNN NEWSROOM just a short time ago. You can see the blaze there on the roof of this apartment building really going there. That fire right in the center, right next to that ladder and then smoke pouring from that building.

These are the live pictures now. It appears that they may have struck some of that fire, gotten some of it knocked out because it's just a little bit of smoke coming from the building. Don't know what's underneath that roof. It could still be going. But firefighters working there in the elements, out in the snow and the cold to get this apartment fire out.

Again, three to four-story apartment building. No injuries to report. It's called Beverly, 20 miles northeast of the Boston area. Again, no injuries here. We'll continue to follow this developing story and bring you the very latest right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And just one day after Christmas, it's back to the campaign trail for the presidential hopefuls. Republican Mitt Romney has several stops planned today across New Hampshire.

And our Mary Snow joins us now from the town of Hooksett. Mary, tell us what an anti-endorsement is and why it's haunting Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. Hope I said that correct, it is Hooksett, right?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's correct.

LEMON: OK.

SNOW: And this is one of the towns where Mitt Romney is going to be today. And you talk about that anti-endorsement. It was really a very scathing editorial about Mitt Romney over the weekend by the "Concord Monitor." And it's not just that editorial. The campaign said oh, it's a liberal paper, but there are a couple of developments that are kind of creating a picture that could spell some worry for Mitt Romney.

Take a look at this, this is the "Union Leader." The Romney backlash, another very critical editorial. And what it's really looking at is Mitt Romney and his -- whether or not he is genuine. And this is a very critical piece on him. This, as a new poll came out over the weekend by the "Boston Globe," showing that he really has seen his lead slip here. He had a steady lead for many months and he is now seeing some pretty stiff competition from John McCain.

This is a state that he was really counting on and expect him today, his campaign says, to really keep focusing on issues like taxes, immigration. He's trying to shore up his credentials as a conservative, as a fiscal conservative. He's has taken a lot of heat on some of his social issues, such as abortion, gay rights. He's been accused of flip-flopping on those issues since he was a governor of Massachusetts to presidential candidate.

So, in these two days here, while he really tries to shore up his support here, he's going to be hammering away at some of those issues that tries to portray him as a fiscal conservative, also immigration, another big issue, and defense -- Don.

LEMON: Mary Snow, and your name is appropriate today judging from the scene behind you with the snow on the ground there in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Thank you very much for that report, and happy day after Christmas to you, as well.

Stay with CNN for the most complete coverage of the race for the White House. We'll take you to Iowa next hour, to see how the candidates are scrambling with the caucuses only eight days away.

Plus, he plays with them, rolls around with them, almost treats them like pets. Check out this guy. We'll talk with -- we'll talk tigers, I should say, with Animal Planet expert Dave Salmoni, coming up in just a little bit in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A tiger goes on the hunt, zoo goers become its prey. Right now, investigators are sweeping the grounds of the San Francisco Zoo, which is shut down today. They are trying to figure out how a 300-pound Siberian tiger got out of its enclosure, killing one visitor and mauling two others on Christmas. Police officers shot and killed the big cat after it, again, tried to attack one of the injured men.

We heard from doctors just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROCHELLE DICKER, SAN FRANCISCO GENERAL HOSPITAL: Our two victims, I'm happy to report, are doing very well right now. They are in very stable condition. They rested overnight after they were taken to the operating room for cleaning and closure of their wounds. I can't really say where the wounds were.

I can tell you that the way that this occurred was typical, as I understand it, of tiger attacks. This is a wild animal and focused on being wild. And I think it was a combination of claw and tooth attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: After this same tiger chewed the flesh off of a keeper's arm last December, the zoo was ordered to make safety upgrades. The animal lived in a habitat surrounded by a 15-foot wide moat and also 20-foot high walls.

We're also hearing from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It says this is the first time an escaped animal has killed a visitor at any zoo accredited by that association.

LEMON: And our next guest knows firsthand what it's like to get a close-up look at a tiger. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE SALMONI, LARGE PREDATOR EXPERT: Ha! I sometimes get asked ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, it might look scary, but Animal Planet host Dave Salmoni -- I said that wrong Dave, so I apologize for that. He says it's just play time for him. And Dave joins us now by phone.

First of all, thanks for joining us, and before I get to you, Dave, I want to say that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Brianna just mentioned them earlier, they say their entire heart goes out, our deepest hope that the two injured guests will recover there. Just received a statement from them moments ago saying that the San Francisco Zoo is a great zoo, is an accredited AZA member in good standing and it has our support during this difficult time.

So, my first question to you, Dave, is they're responding. The zoo has said no one did anything improper as far as their investigation shows now. The zoo is a great place. But are we ever going to find out for sure if someone left a door open or not? Because they want to avoid exposure and liability as well, don't they?

SALMONI: Well, you know what, I mean, that kind of thing -- when you're dealing with a tragedy like this one, and I agree, my sympathies do go out to the families of the victims and to the zoo, because they lost one of their tigers and I'm sure they treat those tigers like their own children. So, placing blame is probably last thing that you want to do. It's more about finding out how it happened and stopping it from happening again.

LEMON: So that it doesn't happen again?

SALMONI: So, yes, I do believe that if there was some degree of human error, that degree of human error will get fixed and will get solved.

LEMON: OK, well, I have to ask you this. How could -- how does something like this happen because I would imagine if you're in a zoo situation like this, especially with an animal like a tiger, there are many precautions. Am I correct? SALMONI: Absolutely.

LEMON: Then how can something like this happen?

SALMONI: You try and manage for every possible scenario. Now, it sounds like what they're trying to say in this situation is the animal somehow climbed out or leapt out of its enclosure. Now, I understand from the dimensions, it's a 20-foot wall it's got to go over and possibly a 15-foot moat.

Now, 20 feet high is not that high for a tiger. Because when you think about a Siberian tiger possibly will be about nine feet or more if it stood up against the wall. So now, it's only got to jump 11 feet to get it's top paws, and even once its top paws touch the top of the roof, it pulls itself out.

LEMON: So really, 20 feet ...

SALMONI: ...what happened there.

LEMON: Twenty feet not that high for a tiger -- I mean, that is -- that's huge.

SALMONI: That's nothing. Yes, no, it's nothing for a tiger.

LEMON: Really? And especially ...

SALMONI: To jump up 20 feet is nothing. Like I say, and in this case, it probably only had to jump up 11. Now, if it had a 15-foot moat to cross first, now you're talking about a serious feat of physical prowess that the animal had to do. Even I would look at that and go, holy cow. I mean, that should not happen.

LEMON: Yes, yes.

SALMONI: The only way you're going to find out the way this tiger is going to escape is actually to get there. Now, Animal Planet and myself are investigating this for a series I do call "After the Attack." And that's when we look at and see what caused this, what could have stopped it and how do we get these people who have been attacked start feeling better about it ...

LEMON: OK.

SALMONI: ...start the emotional healing of it all.

LEMON: Hey, you bring up a very good point here I want to ask you, Dave. So, I'm not an animal expert, you are. Tigers as far as swimming, are they pretty good swimmers or do you think ...

SALMONI: They love the water.

LEMON: ...it was able to walk through -- they love the water, so they can swim it.

SALMONI: Love it. LEMON: OK, so ...

SALMONI: Yes, I mean, swimming is not a problem.

LEMON: OK.

SALMONI: So, it's not about did they cross the water, was there some foothold that they could have gotten their feet on that the zoo can now look at and say hey, let's fix this problem here. It's impossible to know until you get there.

LEMON: Yes, and also, too, at that wall, if there was something that fell down or maybe there was a branch or something that may have helped the tiger get across the wall.

Now let's about this. This tiger is a repeat offender, did it last year. Are there certain signs or something that we should be looking for or maybe that the folks at the zoo should be looking for when it comes to this tiger, that this tiger may have been, you know, not a tiger that should have been out in the open like that?

SALMONI: Well yes, you know -- a tiger like that, no, of course. You have to manage every single tiger they have. They are managing them as dangerous weapons. Every single one of those tigers has the capability of doing what this tiger did.

Now that said, it's more likely that this tiger sees (ph) on people, isn't afraid of people, which most tigers are. So this tiger probably would have been what we would call in the zoo business as a worst case scenario.

What happens if this type of tiger gets out, because 99 percent of the times as the Zoo Association says, you know, a tiger does escape, they're not going to hurt anybody because they're usually pretty scared.

LEMON: Yes.

SALMONI: It's a foreign place, people are scary.

LEMON: Hey ...

SALMONI: This case, this tiger has shown a history of not being scared of people and actually being aggressive towards people. Now, that could be due to fear, it can be due to social structure, or it could be that these people, you know, show themselves as prey by moving away or moving in a nervous manner.

LEMON: And Dave, Dave, I want to get to a couple of other things because we're running out of time here. I know that you work closely with tigers. Have you ever been attacked before? Have you ever experienced the aggression of a tiger? I know that ...

SALMONI: Absolutely.

LEMON: ...I think Roy of Sigfried and Roy was attacked and it was thought that he was going to die. Tell us about your experience.

SALMONI: No, I've been attacked and I can tell you from personal experience, there is nothing more focused and scarier than a tiger coming to kill you. You can't change that tiger's mind when it decides. Now luckily, I saw it coming every time the tigers tried to take me and I've been trained on how to deal with that.

Any human being that's faced with a tiger coming to kill him, unless you've got my type of training, you're really in a serious bit of trouble. You're not going to stop that cat.

LEMON: Yes, Dave Salmoni, wow! Great information. We appreciate it. Thank you very much, sir. And do you know when you're after -- what is it, "After the Attack," do you know when ...

SALMONI: "After the Attack." We're going to basically be looking at the story as soon as we can and getting it aired in late February.

LEMON: All right, great. Happy holidays to you. Thank you, sir.

SALMONI: Thank you.

KEILAR: Let's turn a corner now. Childbirth can be one of life's most rewarding experiences. It can also be one of the most dangerous. Our Judy Fortin will tell us about the risks and what to do about them.

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KEILAR: A heartbreaking story from Kalamazoo, Michigan where a mother died giving birth to triplets. Forty-two-year-old Tina Marie Hagenbush shown here with her husband Jeff developed a hypertensive disorder during her pregnancy. Now, doctors decided to deliver her babies by cesarean. And friends say there was no sign of serious trouble until the first baby was born.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE STILLER, FAMILY FRIEND: Jeff and Tina have been trying for a long time. Both of them adored children, and had been working on trying to have children. And basically, it was their last chance. And on their last chance, they were lucky enough to have the triplets. And Tina was unbelievably excited, as well as Jeff, about the circumstances and they were becoming prepared and couldn't wait to be, you know, new parents.

If you can imagine how difficult it can be with any family with triplets, let alone a single father that just lost his, you know, loving wife to try to get by, by himself with three young babies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Mrs. Hagenbush saw her first baby, a boy named Tiggen (ph), but she didn't live to see her two daughters. Friends say the triplets are doing well. It's believed their mother had a heart attack, but doctors are still waiting for autopsy results.

Now, multiple births pose special risks, especially for older mothers. Now, CNN Medical Correspondent Judy Fortin is here with us now to just tell us a little more about this.

JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, such a sad story, Brianna, especially during the holidays. We had a chance to talk with the hospital a short time ago. And they're not releasing any information about the woman's death, but they did tell us that the triplets are doing very good today and they're in good condition.

There is some speculation that Tina Hagenbush was suffering from preeclampsia, also know pregnancy-induced hypertension. It's a very common problem in the United States. The CDC estimates about one in 20 pregnant women are affected by the condition. It is defined by high blood pressure, and excess protein in the urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Now, most women with preeclampsia deliver healthy babies. But if it's left untreated, it can lead to eclampsia, which has some serious and even fatal complications for both mom and the baby as well.

KEILAR: And who is most at risk? Are there risk factors?

FORTIN: There are actually a lot of risk factors. The cause is unknown, that's important to point out. But experts say that the highest risk patients are those with a history of high blood pressure and diabetes before conception, first-time mothers and those who had preeclampsia in previous pregnancies. Age is also a factor. If you're over 35, and if you're carrying twins, triplets or other multiples, that can put you at risk as well.

KEILAR: So, what should you be looking for in terms of signs and symptoms?

FORTIN: Well, some of the symptoms actually come on pretty suddenly. So, that's something to watch for as well, and they include the two I've already mentioned: the elevated blood pressure and the high concentration of protein in the urine. A woman might also experience severe headaches, upper abdominal pain, changes in vision and nausea and vomiting. Left uncontrolled, the condition can progress into eclampsia and a woman can develop seizures.

So, regular prenatal care is essential to be on the look out for any of these symptoms for any moms, no matter what your age, no matter what your condition.

KEILAR: So, what about treatment and in talking about the case of Mrs. Hagenbush, I mean, they delivered the babies by cesarean. But obviously, it was too late. Is there something you can do ...

FORTIN: Well, again, we don't know what caused her death. But in severe cases with preeclampsia, really the only cure is to deliver those babies and that could create problems if the child or children are premature. Now, if it's too early in the pregnancy, doctors might recommend bed rest and medication as well to help lower the blood pressure. So, really important if you see any of these symptoms, check with your doctor. It may be nothing. A lot of these symptoms like nausea and vomiting you experience some anyway with pregnancy or it could be something more serious.

KEILAR: And that's true. We don't want to jump to a conclusion at the cause of her death.

FORTIN: Not at all.

KEILAR: Although it certainly does raise a certain issue that effects many women.

FORTIN: Absolutely.

KEILAR: Judy, thanks so much.

FORTIN: You're welcome.

LEMON: And on this day after Christmas, another holiday begins, today's the first day of Kwanzaa, a non-religious holiday based on African winter harvest festivals.

Now, Kwanzaa was inspired by the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. It celebrates African-American heritage and pride. Kwanzaa lasts seven days, and is built on seven principles: unity, self- determination, collective worth and responsibility, plus cooperative economic purpose, creativity and also faith.

Well, Kwanzaa is at the center of a heated lawsuit in Shelby County, Tennessee. A court clerk claims religious discrimination in his bid to block a Kwanzaa celebration on county property. Reporter Kontji Anthony, of CNN affiliate WMC, joins us from Memphis.

Hello there.

KONTJI ANTHONY, WMC CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.

Well, just moments ago, a judge gave the green light to allow that Kwanzaa celebration to take place in a government building here in Memphis tonight. We have footage from inside the courtroom. As you mentioned, this all began when both parties took the stand today in an emergency hearing to stop that event.

Probate court clerk, Chris Thomas, says that Shelby County Commissioner, Henry Brooks, was holding the Kwanzaa celebration in county chambers. So he asked the county attorney if Christmas or Hanukkah events would be allowed. The county attorney said they could not, because that violates the separation of church and state.

Now, Thomas sued to stop the event, telling the court his first amendment rights, as a Christian, were being violated. The commissioner argued, Kwanzaa is a non-religious event to celebrate African-American culture. That she too is Christian, and Kwanzaa is not an alternative to Christmas, as Thomas suggested. Now, the main issue here that was established is -- by the court is -- that Kwanzaa is, in fact, a cultural event.

Here is what the two had to say outside the courtroom afterwards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me, I still feel like it's discrimination. But, this is what our court system is for. And, it's happened so the ruling will stand. And, we'll go from there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just pleased that now we have put this issue to rest in Shelby County, that Kwanzaa is not religious, that Kwanzaa is a cultural celebration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY: Now, at one point, the judge asked Chris Thomas' attorney, what religion exactly would be observed in the Kwanzaa celebration. And he had a little trouble answering that question. But he did say that he felt there were some religious undertones in having a Kwanzaa event at a public building. But in the end, his argument did not stand. And that event will take place tonight, here in Memphis.

Now back to you.

LEMON: All right, Kontji Anthony, of CNN affiliate WMC in Memphis. Thank you very much for your report.

KEILAR: And when we come back, a look at what you're clicking on at cnn.com. Plus, Chad Myers is tracking severe weather as you head back home from grandma's house. You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM.

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KEILAR: Time to see what's clicking with all you cnn.comers. Some of our most watched videos today, a California boy is recuperating at home over the holidays after being impaled on a piece of farm equipment.

A Christmas day tragedy in Texas. A seven-year-old girl riding her brand new bike is hit by a truck and killed.

And cursed, then blessed three times over. A couple who lost their three children in separate incidents, gives birth, by surrogate, to triplets. All of these stories and much more on CNN.com.

LEMON: I want to get you back to the scene of our breaking news happening right now. It's in Beverly, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, about 20 miles Northeast of Boston. You can see flames shooting through the roof of this three -- looks like a four-story apartment building there. These pictures, we sure appreciate it, courtesy of our affiliate, WCVB, in Boston. But, they're getting these pictures live from their chopper from Beverly, Massachusetts. Now, again, as we told you earlier, we don't have any reports of any injuries here. But it's still early on in this. As we saw earlier here in the CNN NEWSROOM, just moments ago. These flames were not shooting through the roof and it looks like they have built back up again. And firefighters working against the elements there. It is cold in Boston and also there is snow on the ground.

Soon as we get more information about this, we'll bring it to you. Again, no reports of any injuries. We're on top of it in the NEWSROOM.

Also this, some young National Guard members will see a familiar face when they deploy to Iraq next week, their former teacher. We'll tell you why Jonathan Marion is exchanging his grading book for a gun.

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