Terrifying moment zookeeper fights for his life with a TIGER before colleague races to his aid in doomed bid to save him
This is the terrifying moment a Romanian zookeeper who entered a tiger’s cage fought for his life with the animal moments before he was killed.
The 52-year-old man, who has not been named, was reportedly bitten on the head by the animal at Pitesti Zoo on Monday morning.
While bringing food to the big cat, the keeper reportedly ignored health and safety regulations that require tigers to be completely separated from the entry area.
According to reports, the zookeeper forgot to close the security door, allowing the animal to launch itself at the man and maul him for several minutes.
CCTV footage captured the moment the zoo worker opened the door to the tiger’s enclosure and the big cat charged at him.
You see the man trying to close the door and get away from the danger, but the tiger manages to crawl through a small space and attack him.
The animal then drags the defenseless man into the cage, with his colleagues rushing to his aid as they try to push the beast away, before the clip comes to an end.
Emergency services quickly arrived on the scene and the man was rushed to hospital. Tragically, he could not be saved.
Footage shows the terrifying moment a Romanian zookeeper who entered a tiger’s cage fought for his life with the animal moments before it was killed
Workers try to save the zoo keeper who was attacked by the tiger at Pitesti Zoo
Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the death and a criminal case has been filed for manslaughter and failure to comply with statutory health and safety measures.
According to Romanian publication Stirile Pro TV, zoo staff heard screams coming from the enclosure.
Director of the Pitesi Zoo Nusa Popescu said: “We managed to lock the door so that tigers cannot enter the zoo and then we managed, through specific procedures, to remove the tiger that attacked from inside.”
Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the death and a criminal case has been filed for manslaughter and failure to comply with legal health and safety measures, according to local news site Gandul.
The zoo, located 60 miles outside Bucharest, said it was the first time in its 50-year history that such an incident had occurred, and pledged to conduct internal investigations and support the police investigation.
“We will work with all relevant authorities to understand exactly what happened and to ensure that such tragedies do not occur again,” the ministry said in a statement.
Footage shows the tiger dragging the defenseless man into the cage as his colleagues rush to his aid as they try to push the beast away
The zoo posted a photo of one of its tigers, Ares, the weekend before the fatal incident on Monday morning
The zoo, located 60 miles outside Bucharest, said it was the first time in its 50-year history that such an incident had occurred
“We reiterate our commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards in all activities conducted at the zoo. It is our responsibility to protect the lives of everyone who works there and also to ensure the welfare of the animals.”
The mayor of Pitesti shared his condolences in a statement on Facebook. “It is a tremendous loss and our thoughts go out to the victim’s family and all his loved ones in these moments of pain,” he said.
“I have ordered the temporary suspension of activities at the zoo to conduct a thorough investigation,” the statement continued. “We will take all necessary measures to prevent more such tragedies.”
The zoo’s security protocols are expected to be radically overhauled in the coming weeks to prevent similar attacks, The Sun reports.
It is currently closed to the public as the police investigation continues.
The photo shared by Pitesti Zoo in September shows a Siberian tiger named Ares
The facility is home to a number of tigers, including a Siberian tiger named Ares, a photo of which was posted on Facebook last Friday.
In recent years, a number of incidents involving tigers have occurred in Romanian zoos, including Pitesti.
In 2000, a tiger escaped from Pitesti Zoo because a worker forgot to lock the doors.
Fortunately, the tiger was found within an hour later in a nearby forest and returned to its cage.