The zookeeper tragically died after being gnawed to death by the tiger he had raised ever since it was just a cub.
The employee surnamed Wu was with the tiger inside a large metal cage used for training and exercise – and formally for circus performances – when the large cat “suddenly bit onto and suffocated him to death”, an official with the Fuzhou City Government in East China’s Fujian Province said.
The statement said Wu, who worked for the Fuzhou Zoo, had raised the tiger since it was a cub, and that it had been domesticated through long-term interaction with humans.
The official described the animal as “usually quite docile”.
Horrific footage taken by witnesses shows the cat, whose subspecies has not been confirmed, standing over the lifeless trainer’s body inside the cage, with someone yelling: “Call the police!”
Another clip, blurred by Chinese media, showed the tiger appearing to claw at the handler while other staff members try drive it away using a stick.
They eventually gained access to the victim, but he was already without vital signs and later declared dead by paramedics.
Fuzhou Zoo said the animal used to perform for visitors as part of an event outsourced to a circus from East China’s Anhui Province.
The shows had already been stopped prior to the accident, with all its lions already shipped away but the tigers are still awaiting approval to be moved.
Further details about the case have yet to be revealed.