A Malayan tiger at the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens in Florida was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday after it bit a man when he entered an unauthorized area in an attempt to pet and feed the tiger, Naples Daily News reports.
The man, reportedly in his 20s, who was a cleaner at the zoo, suffered serious injuries as a result of the bite after he reportedly was either petting or feeding the animal by sticking his hand through the fence, when the animal bit the man’s arm and began pulling him toward the enclosure, the Daily News reports.
When deputies arrived, they attempted to get the tiger, named Eko, to release the man’s arm by kicking at the enclosure, but when that did not work, they shot the tiger.
The man was then transported by emergency medical services to a local hospital, reports the Daily News.
Hospital officials at Lee Hospital in Fort Myers, Fla., confirmed that they were treating a man who was the victim of a tiger mauling incident.
The Naples Zoo stated it will be closed on Thursday because of the incident and will reopen Friday, according to ABC News.
Malayan tigers are a critically endangered species, according to the zoo’s website, noting that in the wild there are only about 200 of the tigers left.
The 8-year-old tiger had been transported from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle in December 2019, notes the Daily News.