The Chronicle this morning identified veteran Bay Area PR man Sam Singer (pictured) as the likely source of stories in the “national and international media that served to take some heat off” the San Francisco Zoo after one of its tigers escaped, killing one teenager and injuring two brothers, ages 19 and 23, who were visiting on Christmas Day. One of the stories was an exclusive by the New York Post that said slingshots were found on the two brothers. Singer, who was hired by the zoo in the wake of the attack, is quoted in today’s Chron story as saying that the slingshot report “was already out there, and that is not something that I did.” And the Post story identified its anonymous source as a “city official,” which would appear to exclude Singer, who heads a private PR firm. Coincidentally, the Mercury News also had a story about Singer in today’s edition. (Photo credit: Paul Chin, Chronicle)