HOUSTON -- The death of a man at the San Francisco Zoo has made many Houstonians curious about their safety at the Houston Zoo, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

Local 2 reporter Elizabeth Scarborough got a firsthand look at the extreme measures taken by the Houston Zoo to keep visitors safe.

Jammu is one of two tigers at the zoo. He's 8 years old, 275 pounds, and when he stands on his hind legs, he's about 7 feet tall. He eats 15 pounds of meat a day.

Kevin Hodge, the Carnivore Supervisor at the Houston Zoo, said Wednesday, "Tigers and all large cats -- just by their size -- these cats are made to be predators. It's not an animal like a dog or cat. It's never become domesticated, so you have to treat it like a wild animal."

That's why Hodge said the two tigers are kept safely away from visitors using 18-20 foot concrete walls on one side of the exhibit and a 16-foot deep moat around the rest.

"Even when they swim up to the wall, there's nothing for their feet to grab a hold of and get out," said Hodge.

Some visitors were a little more skeptical Wednesday, but many families still made a special stop at the exhibit.

Elyssa Schultz said she believes it's a good experience for her kids, "I trust the people at the zoo to keep them secure."

For the keepers to gain access to the tigers, there are a series of locked doors and security measures.

Hollie Colahan, curator of Carnivores and Primates, pointed out hanging tags at the entrance of the cage area.

"Each of the keepers has one with their name on it, they put it up here, so we know who's in the building," said Colahan.

Two more doors are unlocked and opened before the tiger can get inside the cage to eat or play.

The closest a keeper would ever get to a tiger is about 2 feet away with a metal fence in between, unless he's sedated.

Just in case one gets loose, all keepers carry pepper spray.

The keepers also have a strict protocol they follow called "code 99," which they practice regularly.