The tigers and lions of the San Francisco Zoo’s well-known big cats exhibit are expected to be in the public’s view once more starting with Thursday, Feb. 21. The zoo will allow visitors to see the felines in their renovated enclosures. Workers were completely finished with their job by Saturday.

The San Francisco Zoo had been closed because of the escape of a tiger that killed a teenager from San Jose and mauled his two friends. The tragic event took place right on Christmas Day 2007.

As a result of the unfortunate situation many improvements were made. To begin with, the big cat grotto now has raised walls. Before the incident occurred, the walls were 4 feet lower than national guidelines recommended; they now reach the proper height of 16.4 feet.

Furthermore the walls dispose now of glass barriers with electrified shock-emitting wires which are along the interior of the moat wall. This method is quite sure because it was experienced in other zoos and is meant to prevent the wild cats from escaping again.

CBS reports that zoo spokesman Paul Garcia said that the animals have been in their new home since Monday and have adapted extremely well. According to him the cats have shown normal behavior; he added the fact that on Wednesday the lions were “resting comfortably on a heated rock without a care in the world.”

The amount of money that was used to redo the grotto was estimated at $1.7 million according to the San Jose Mercury News. The magazine also reveals the fact that the zookeepers tried to challenge the four lions and the four tigers. The results were positive and the cats behaved properly.