China: Man mauled by 3 tigers in the presence of wife and children
A man, identified as Mr Zhang, was mauled to death by three tigers in the presence of zoo visitors after he scaled the zoo’s wall that was the boundary of the beasts’ enclosure.
The man’s desperation to avoid paying for a ticket at the Dongqian Lake Tourist Resort in eastern China, left him at the mercy of the tigers.
Mr Zhang had attended the park with his wife and two children, along with a colleague and his wife, on Sunday.
The women and children had bought tickets and entered the park, but the two men decided to scale the zoo’s 3m-tall (10ft) outer wall, BBC reports.
Mr Zhang was immediately surrounded and attacked by three tigers after he dropped down into the enclosure. His colleague, identified as Mr Li, did not follow.
Terrified onlookers screamed as the helpless man unsuccessfully fought off the tigers, before special forces unit from the local police scared off two of the three beasts with a firecracker.
The third tiger, however, continued to maul its victim, and was subsequently shot dead. The incident was caught live on camera by park visitors, some of whom posted video clips and pictures of the attack online.
Many condemned Mr Zhang for daring the beasts and jumping in the enclosure.
“This visitor’s death by mauling really does not deserve any sympathy. Tigers are the carnivorous kings of the jungle and hunting for food is their instinct, who can you blame if you jump in and get attacked? Rest in peace, tiger,” one user on Weibo wrote.
The zoo was reportedly closed to visitors after the attack.
