Zoo keeper was placing food in enclosure when Siberian tiger attacked
By Anna Edwards|
The experienced 56-year-old keeper was laying food in the outside area of the tiger compound in a Munster zoo, Germany, when the predator crept up behind him.
The animal sunk its teeth into the keeper's throat, killing the employee instantly.
Pounced: Siberian tiger Rasputin killed his keeper with a single bite to the throat after a door was left unlocked
The keeper, named as Martin H, was laying out food for the tigers in their outdoor enclosure while they were inside
It is thought that the door between the two
enclosures hadn't been secured properly and Siberian tiger Rasputin was
able to sneak up behind the man and attack him from behind
The keeper, known only as Martin. H, was carrying out a routine feed when the tragic accident happened in front of visitors.
He had failed to lock the inside enclosure door properly, which allowed the Siberian tiger to get to him.
An investigation is inspecting the circumstances around the death, but the strongest theory is that the death occurred because of human error.
Zoo chief Jörg Adler said despite help being immediately called for, there was nothing emergency services could do for the keeper.
Zoo chief Jörg Adler said despite help being immediately called for, there was nothing emergency services could do
The tragic death is being investigated, but one theory is that it was a basic human error that caused it
He said: 'An encounter like that with a tiger isn't something that can be survived,' The Local reported.
'We can install only so much technology and so many alarms – when it comes down to it, it's the keeper who decides,' he added.
The Munster zoo director said the keeper loved his animals, 9News MSN reported. The Siberian tiger, called Rasputin, will not be killed.
The death follows another incident of a tiger killing a zookeeper earlier this year.
In May, a British woman was mauled by a tiger in a staff area of the enclosure that animals should not have had access to.
Sarah McClay, 24, died when she was mauled by a Sumatran tiger at South Lakes Wild Animal Park, in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria.
Sarah was located in the inner corridor of the enclosure, an area that tigers should not have access to as the sliding doors to the inner tiger pens should have been bolted shut.
Instead, a tiger was able to drag her from the corridor, through the left pen and out to the outside area were she was killed.
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