MIAMI, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Florida wildlife officials announced charges against the president of Jungle Island over the escape of a small ape and a big tiger at the Miami attraction.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Saturday that Bern Levine was being cited for misdemeanors in connection with the August incident that sent visitors fleeing to the exits.

The charges allege the tiger's enclosure did not meet state requirements. Specifically, nearly 2 feet of mulch added to the floor made the fence effectively lower than the mandated minimum height of 10 feet, The Miami Herald said Sunday.

The mulch may have given the tiger the advantage it needed to leap over the fence and prowl the walkways after becoming agitated when a gibbon slipped out of a transfer cage as it was being wheeled past the cat enclosure.

The commission also cited the actual owner of the tiger for keeping an animal in conditions that could jeopardize public safety.