Mauled at the zoo
Tiger pounces on keeper ...but visitors save her life by throwing stones at it
PINNED underneath its powerful paws and screaming in agony, this is the terrifying moment a zookeeper was mauled by a tiger in full view of visitors.
Slashed at repeatedly by the predator, which appeared ready to go in for the kill, the unnamed woman appeared to have little chance of survival.
But thanks to quick-thinking members of the public, who distracted the tiger by shouting and throwing stones and other makeshift missiles, she managed to escape. The keeper at the zoo in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic between Poland and Lithuania, suffered multiple wounds to her body and limbs.
Last night she was in a serious condition in hospital, although her life is not thought to be in danger. An inquiry was launched into how the male Siberian tiger – the largest cat in the world – was out of his enclosure when the woman brought his food.
The tiger, named Typhoon, was supposed to be contained in another part of the zoo compound, but instead was free to attack.
The 16-year-old was born in captivity and reportedly has no history of concerning aggressive behaviour.
The attack happened around noon yesterday and, with no other members of staff on hand to help, the keeper owed her life to watching visitors who improvised as the horror unfolded in front of them.
With the woman pinned down by the tiger, some visitors even picked up a table and chairs from a nearby cafe to throw over the security fence.
An onlooker said: ‘The girl’s face was bleeding. She screamed and tried to fight off the animal.’ The distraction technique worked enough for the woman to get clear and run to a secure area.
Onlookers even called for an ambulance and she was taken to hospital with serious injuries. A
‘She tried to fight it off’
local health ministry spokesman said: ‘The patient was delivered to the hospital with multiple wounds to the body and limbs.
‘She is conscious, her condition is assessed as stable but critical. There is no threat to her life.’ The tiger was last night in his enclo- sure and no action is expected to be taken against him.
A zoo spokesman said: ‘The Siberian tiger is a territorial animal. Protecting its territory is its natural instinct. This animal acted in full accordance with its instinct. It was not aggression. It was defence of its territory.’ Typhoon was born in July 2001 in another Russian zoo and then moved to Kaliningrad.
In the wild Siberian tigers – a critically endangered species that can weigh up to 800lb – have a life expectancy of 15 years.