But the badly mauled victim may now face disciplinary and even criminal action as her bosses blame her for the shocking incident.
Doctors have so far refused to allow the Russian version of the FBI – called the Investigative Committee (IC) – to speak with savaged mother of three Nadezhda Srivastava, a highly experienced keeper who was feeding the big cat and cleaning the compound when she was overpowered in full view of horrified visitors.
The 44 year old doctor’s wife suffered lung damage, chest, abdominal and limb injuries described as “serious” by chief doctor Alexander Makarevich.
She is intensive care but is able to eat and talk.
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Nadezhda Srivastava was feeding the tiger when we was overpowered in view of visitors
Deeply shocking pictures of the tiger attack went viral, but now a Kaliningrad Zoo investigation has formally accused the keeper of “a gross violation of safety regulations” by not ensuring a gate between sections with the tiger compound was locked.
A pre-investigation check is also underway by the IC which could lead to prosecutions under civil or criminal law.
However, a former director of the zoo has questioned why Mrs Srivastava – a keen wildlife photographer who had pictured her tiger attacker previously – was trying to feed the tiger and clean the compound alone when rules say a second employee must be there too.
She believed “staff shortages” maybe to blame rather than the experienced keeper.
This was clearly an accident, not the overconfidence of the employee
She also claimed the lock could have malfunctioned.
Lyudmila Anoka, 69, who ran the zoo for more than 20 years, said: “This was clearly an accident, not the overconfidence of the employee.
“She knows perfectly well what a wild animal is.”
The zoo has now publicly thanked visitors for saving the keeper’s life by scaring away the predator by throwing stones, tables and benches into the Siberian tiger’s compound, banging with metal on the cage bars, and shouting and screaming.
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Male Siberian – or Amur – tigers are the largest big cats in the world
Current director Svetlana Sokolova said: “Visitors did everything right when they started shouting and calling for help.
“Many thanks to them for reacting quickly and helping to drive the animal away from Nadezhda.”
This commotion scared Typhoon the 16-year-old tiger and it moved away from the keeper allowing her to flee covered in blood after the ten minute attack to a safe zone from where she was taken to an ambulance.
Male Siberian – or Amur – tigers are the largest big cats in the world.
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Deeply shocking pictures of the tiger attack went viral
Dmitry, one of those who saved the keeper said: “I saw the woman lying under the tiger is on her, biting her elbows, hands, and fingers.
“There was blood everywhere.
“At first there were three of us … and we threw paving stones at the tiger.”
The internal zoo investigation found that “the reason why the tiger went out into the open-air enclosure at the moment when zoo technician was cleaning the enclosure, was that the gate, which blocks the animal’s access from the inner cage, was not closed.
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The zoo has now publicly thanked visitors for saving the keeper’s life by scaring away the predator
“According to the safety rules, before entering the open-air enclosure, the worker is obliged to move the animal to the inner cage, to make sure that the animal is securely locked and only after that enter.”
The animal has not been put down and will not be destroyed, say the zoo, despite the attack.
The animal “is in a normal state”.
The IC said: “Measures are being taken to establish all the circumstances of the incident, the condition of the victim and the nature of the injuries.”
Afterwards a decision would be taken on any legal action.