According to Japan Times, Akira Furusho (40) was found lying on the tiger’s cage’s floor with his neck ripped apart on Tuesday afternoon at the Hirakawa Zoological Park in Kagoshima in the south of Japan.
A zoo is in mourning after one of its rare white tigers attacked and killed a zookeeper. Colleagues rushed Akira to hospital but doctors could only confirm that he was dead.
The killer tiger was born in the zoo five years ago and is called Riku. The tiger is about 1,8 meters in length and weighs about 170 kilograms.
White tigers are very rare and are related to the more common Bengal tiger. They have black stripes and white fur. A vet used a tranquillizer gun to sedate Riku and his cage has been temporarily closed to visitors.
Cops and labour authorities are investigating how the tragedy happened. The zoo’s rules forbid a keeper from entering the display cage where the tiger spends the day before the dangerous cat has been moved into its sleeping chamber.
Akira was found mortally wounded in Riku’s display cage. The zoo was opened in 1972. This is the first such tragedy it has suffered.
Source: Daily Sun
