A 350-pound Siberian Tigress had mauled Paul Dhaliwal (19) and Kulbir Dhaliwal (23) and killed their teenage friend Carlos Sousa Jr on December 25.
"They were out there for 30 to 35 minutes and nobody takes them seriously - especially when there was blood. It's incredible," Attorney Mark Geragos said.
According to the brothers' account, as related by Geragos to the San Francisco Chronicle, they approached a cafe, 300 yards away, after the initial attack by the big cat at 4.30 pm.
Unable to find help at the cafe, which was nearing the closing time, the brothers spotted a woman security officer, but she appeared to be ‘diffident’ after hearing of the tiger attack, Geragos said.
According to the police records of that day, somebody from the cafe finally informed the emergency at 5.10.
However, it is unclear exactly when the brothers first attempted to notify people in the cafe about the attack, the report said.
The newly appointed spokesman for the zoo, Sam Singer, however, dismissed the claims saying the San Francisco Police Department is yet to complete its investigation.