Honolulu Zoo officials say more than $50,000 in safety upgrades, including automatic gate latches, will prevent a repeat of last month's brief escape of a 245-pound tiger from its enclosure.

"We've removed some of the human element to allow for self-closing (gates)," city Enterprise Services Director Sidney Quintal said yesterday.

He said the zoo is considering making similar changes at all of its exhibits with predatory animals.

A Sumatran male tiger named Berani got out of its enclosure before the zoo opened for the day on Feb. 21, after a zookeeper neglected to secure the tiger exhibit's holding gate.

Berani pushed past the unlocked gate and strolled past a volunteer in a non-public service area. The volunteer was unharmed and has received counseling, Quintal said. The city disciplined the zookeeper, Quintal said.

"We reviewed what occurred and we're getting everybody retrained and put back together," he said. "We have learned from this incident and would rather look forward."

Since the incident, workers have installed an automatic latch and spring-loaded hinges in the holding area of the tiger exhibit. An additional fence has been erected.

Other safety improvements, including a new covering and concrete walkway, are being made to ensure the safety of zoo animals, workers and visitors. Work is expected to be completed next week.

"We had to make sure that we've put everyone's mind at ease, that the zoo is still safe," Quintal said. "We feel very comfortable now that what we've installed will prevent this from happening."

The day after Berani's escape, the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging an investigation of the incident.

PETA said the zoo violated two sections of the Animal Welfare Act dealing with the safe handling of animals and the integrity of the zoo's structures.

Quintal said the city has forwarded information on the incident to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.