Zoo tiger bites off fingertip

Employee was feeding the animal

A male Sumatran tiger at Zoo Miami bit off the tip of a zookeeper’s finger when the keeper broke protocol and fed the animal through the bars of its holding area, zoo spokesman said.

The bite happened around 2 p.m. Tuesday, said spokesman Ron Magill. The zookeeper, who hasn’t yet been identified, was taken to a hospital.

Magill identified the tiger as Berani.

According to the Zoo Miami website, Berani is one of two Sumatran tigers at the zoo.

“Berani, a male, born March 6, 2008, is a laid back tiger, but will occasionally act aggressively toward his keepers,” the zoo’s website states.

As for Berani’s status at the zoo, nothing will change, Magill said.

“Nothing’s going to happen to the tiger,” Magill said. “The tiger was just being a tiger.”

Magill said Tuesday afternoon he was still gathering information about the incident, but said it apa peared the tiger had bitten off about an eighth of an inch of the zookeeper’s finger.

It’s the second incident involving a tiger at a South Florida zoo in 2016. On April 15, a Malayan tiger at the Palm Beach Zoo fatally mauled zookeeper Stacey Konwiser after zoo officials said she breached protocol and, for reasons that weren’t clear, went inside the tiger’s enclosure.