A zookeeper has been killed after a Siberian tiger attacked him as he cleaned its enclosure.
The man, 56, suffered a fatal bite to the neck after the powerful animal leapt on him in front of terrified visitors.
It is thought the ten-year-old tiger, called Rasputin, entered the enclosure after it was accidentally left open by the tragic keeper.
The experienced keeper had moved the tiger into a cage for its feeding time but he failed to properly lock the door.
Rasputin then crept up on the man, named only on as Martin H, before attacking him from behind on Thursday at Munster Zoo in Germany.
Jörg Adler, zoo boss, said: “An encounter like that with a tiger isn’t something that can be survived.”
Siberian tigers are the largest of all big cats and can weigh up to 465kg. The zoo confirmed the animal will not be destroyed following the incident.
