Zoo Keeper Mauled And Eaten Alive By Tiger He Raised

A man has been mauled to death by a 'usually quite docile' tiger at a zoo in Fuzhou City in China, after it bit him and suffocated him to death.

The Chinese zoo handler, known only as Mr Wu, had raised the tiger since it was just a cub. He was inside a big metal cage - formerly a circus performance area but now used only for training and exercise - on Sunday.

Officials in Fuzhou City, which is in China's eastern Fujian Province, said that the 'usually quite docile' big cat 'bit onto and suffocated him to death'.

Mr Wu worked for the Fuzhou Zoo and had managed to domesticate the tiger over the years through long-term interactions with humans.

In one horrific clip, which was filmed by witnesses at the scene, the tiger can be seen standing over its trainer's lifeless body, while someone can be heard yelling: "Call the police!"

In another clip circulating Chinese media - which has the graphic footage pixelated - it also shows the tiger appearing to claw at the handler, as other staff members try desperately to fend the large animal off with a stick.

According to the Daily Mail, people did eventually make it in to help the victim, but Mr Wu was already 'without vital signs'. He was later declared dead by paramedics.

AsiaWire

It is not known what sub-species of tiger the animal was, but Fuzhou Zoo has said that it used to perform for visitors as part of an event outsourced to a circus from eastern China's Anhui Province.

The shows were no longer running at the time of the accident, and all of the lions used had already been shipped off, but the tigers were apparently still awaiting approval before they could be moved.

Just over a year ago another man in China was mauled to death by three tigers in front of his wife and child.

Chinese media claimed that the father died after he entered the enclosure, inside Ningbo Younger Zoo, in east China, and walked towards the hungry cats as they were feeding.

The victim, a young man, was snatched by the big cat at the Ningbo Youngor Zoo in Zhejiang province and dragged away under trees.

Pictures posted to social media showed a man writhing in agony on the floor as the three animals bit and clawed at his body.

The big cats were undeterred when zoo keepers tried to scare them off with firecrackers and water canons, and the man died from his injuries, according to local reports.

Topics: World News, Animals, China

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

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