This is the terrifying moment a Romanian zookeeper who entered a tiger’s cage fought for his life with the animal just 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 caretaker allegedly ignored health and safety rules which require tigers to be completely separated from the access area.
The zookeeper forgot to close the safety door, according to reports, and the animal was able to launch itself at the man, mauling him over several minutes.
CCTV footage captured the moment the zoo employee opened the door to the tiger enclosure, at which point the big cat lunged towards him.
The man can be seen attempting to close the door and get away from the danger, but the tiger manages to crawl through a small space and attacks him.
The animal then drags the defenceless man into the cage, as his colleagues rush to his rescue while they attempt to push the beast away, before the clip comes to an end.
Emergency services were quick to arrive at 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 just moments before he was killed
Workers try to rescue the zoo keeper that 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 legal 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 as not to allow tigers access to 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 of Bucharest, said it was the first time in its 50-year history that such an incident has happened, and vowed to investigate internally and support the police probe.
‘We will work with all the authorities involved to understand exactly what happened and to ensure that such tragedies do not happen again,’ it said in a statement.
Footage shows how the tiger drags the defenceless man into the cage, as his colleagues rush to his rescue while they attempt to push the beast away
The zoo posted a picture of one of its tigers, Ares, over the weekend before the deadly incident on Monday morning
The zoo, located 60 miles outside of Bucharest, said it was the first time in its 50-year history that such an incident has happened
‘We reiterate our commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards in all activities carried out at the Zoo. It is our responsibility to protect the lives of all those who work 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 huge 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 in order to conduct a thorough investigation,’ the statement went on. ‘We will take all necessary measures to prevent other tragedies of this kind.’
The zoo’s security protocols are expected to be radically overhauled in the coming weeks in order to prevent similar attacks from taking place, The Sun reports.
It is currently closed to the public as the police investigation continues.
Picture shared by Pitesti Zoo in September shows a Siberian tiger called Ares
The facility is home to a number of tigers, including a Siberian tiger called Ares which it posted a picture of on Facebook last Friday.
A number of incidents with tigers have occurred at Romanian zoos, including Pitesti, over recent years.
In 2000, a tiger escaped from Pitesti Zoo because a worker forgot to lock doors.
Fortunately, the tiger was located within an hour later roaming a nearby forest and was taken back to its cage.
