After biting the cleaner in an area near its enclosure, an endangered tiger was killed and shot.
Naples Zoo, Florida – Deputies discovered the animal in the mouth of a man and arrived to rescue him.
With serious injuries, the maintenance worker was flown to the hospital.
The victim, Collier County Sheriff’s Office said was a male with third-party cleaning services contracted by the Zoo.
The eight-year-old Eko Malayan Tiger, according to reports, grabbed his arm as he tried to feed or pet the beast through a barrier.
An endangered tiger was shot and killed in its enclosure after biting a cleaner who had entered an ‘unauthorized area’ next to its cage at Naples Zoo in Florida
The man was trying to get the tiger to feed him or to play with it, according to some reports.
According to the sheriff’s Office, after kickin the enclosure, the first deputy arrived on the scene and tried to get Tiger to let go.
However, when the tiger insisted on releasing the arm of the man, the officer was forced into firing.
After retreating into the enclosure, the tiger was declared dead.
According to a police spokesperson, the first deputy arrived on the scene and kicked the enclosure. He tried to force the tiger out of its mouth by getting his arm free. But the deputy had to kill the animal.
According to a police spokesperson, “The initial deputy arrived on the scene and kicked the enclosure. He tried to force the man to let the tiger out of its mouth. But the deputy had to kill the animal.”
The cleaner was said to have “traversed an original fence barrier” and had put his arm through fencing to try to feed or pet the animal.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission will investigate the incident.
Naples Zoo blog, February 2020 says Eko was brought to Florida by Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.
Eko is called ‘a great ambassador of his species’ by the zoo.
According to IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, less than 200 Malayan tigers remain wild.