PITTSBURGH - Six people were mauled by two polar bears at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium this weekend after workers mistakenly placed them in the petting zoo. The bears devoured all of the fawn, lamb and rabbits in the petting zoo in full view of a horrified crowd before chewing off the arm of a Boy Scout leader who attempted to subdue them with a rope. In the ensuing panic, five other people were attacked. A full battalion of Pittsburgh Police finally restored order by immobilizing the polar bears with night sticks, stun guns, and tranquilizers. Pittsburgh Zoo President Dr. Barbara Baker offered an apology, as well as a full refund to anyone traumatized by, or mauled in the attack. "We are taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again," she said. Dr. Baker explained that employees responsible for placing the bears in the appropriate outdoor exhibit were unaware that polar bears could pose a threat to human beings. "The individuals told me they had seen polar bears on television, in commercials, drinking Coca-Cola and behaving in a jolly, playful way." Dr. Baker said the employees, acting on their own, placed the bears in the petting zoo. "They thought the cute, cuddly, soda-pop loving bears - their words, not mine - would be a natural hit with crowds, especially children." Events of this past weekend have disabused them of that notion. "I have told them repeatedly not everything you see on television is accurate, especially as it relates to dangerous, predatory beasts," she said, with exasperation. "Now, maybe they'll start listening to me."
