Horrific moment tiger mauls zookeeper - before quick-thinking visitors save her life
WARNING - GRAPHIC IMAGES: Visitors have watched on in horror as a Siberian tiger set upon and mauled a zookeeper in Russia.
The 15-year-old male tiger was supposed to be confined to one section of his compound inside Kaliningrad Zoo in Russia, but when the young zookeeper entered with his food, she was immediately dragged to the ground.
The tiger named 'Tafiun' or Typhoon was believed to weigh more than 200kg, and the helpless woman could only scream as she shielded her face from the animal.
Rag-dolling her amongst the shrubbery, confronting images show Typhoon appearing to go in for the kill.
"The girl's face was bleeding… she screamed and tried to fight off the animal,” one witness said.
With no other zoo employees present to intervene, visitors knew it was up to them to distract the elderly tiger.
The Siberian tiger quickly set upon the unsuspecting zookeeper. Source: East2West News
As some screamed and banged on the fence, other threw stones and even nearby furniture in a bid to frighten the big cat.
Reacting to the loud noises, the brief distraction gave the zookeeper a short opening to flee through a nearby exit into a backroom.
Rushed to hospital with multiple wounds to her limbs and body, a spokesperson said the zookeeper remains in a “stable but critical” condition and there was no threat to her life.
Contrary to early eyewitness reports, Typhoon was not sedated following the attack and the zoo has confirmed that no action will be taken against him.
"The Siberian tiger is a territorial animal. Protecting its territory is its natural instinct,” a spokesperson said.
"This animal acted in full accordance with its instinct. It was not aggression. It was the defence of its territory."
