A Chinese zoo handler has been mauled to death by a 'domesticated' tiger he raised since it was just a cub.
The zookeeper, identified only as Mr Wu, was with the tiger inside a big metal former circus performance cage used for training and exercise on Sunday.
Suddenly the 'usually quite docile' big cat 'bit onto and suffocated him to death', officials in Fuzhou City in China's eastern Fujian Province said.
A Chinese zoo handler has been mauled to death by a tiger he raised ever since it was just a cub
Horrific footage taken by witnesses shows the tiger standing over the lifeless trainer's body inside the cage
Mr Wu, who worked for the Fuzhou Zoo, raised the tiger since it was a cub, and it had been domesticated through long-term interaction with humans.
Horrific footage taken by witnesses shows the tiger, whose subspecies has not been confirmed, standing over the lifeless trainer's body inside the cage, with someone yelling: 'Call the police!'
Another clip, blurred by Chinese media, showed the tiger appearing to claw at the handler while other staff members tried drive it away using a stick.
The tiger appearing to claw at the handler while other staff members tried drive it away using a stick
Mr Wu, who worked for the Fuzhou Zoo, raised the tiger since it was a cub, and it had been domesticated through long-term interaction with humans
They eventually reached the victim, but he was already without vital signs and later declared dead by paramedics.
Fuzhou Zoo stated the animal used to perform for visitors as part of an event outsourced to a circus from eastern China's Anhui Province.
The shows already stopped before the accident, with all its lions already shipped away but the tigers were still awaiting approval to be moved.