The escaped tiger turned a Safari Park in Japan into a hunting ground as a zoo keeper's hand got ripped off, with two more getting attacked by the savage big cat.
A 10-year-old male Bengal tiger attacked the staff where the carnage happened in the Tochigi prefecture, Nasu Safari Park, where the animal is caged. Reports say the bloody incident happened on a Wednesday at 8:30 am when the park attendants were opening the park.
Tiger attacks staff in Safari park
According to Kyodo News, the beast is about 330 pounds and is more than six feet long had not been kept secure in its cage the night earlier.
Three staff members did not know that it would be terrifying when they opened up the next day. They met the predator on the way to the exhibition area, where the savage attack happened, reported the Daily Mail.
A woman in her 20s was bitten by the big cat where her hand got ripped off and taken by air medivac for treatment. Another woman got pounced on by the animal with bites to the body, and a male got grabbed in the back of the head acquired several wounds. All the victims were in their 20s too.
One source said that the pen that housed the tiger was not secure enough to hold the animal on Tuesday night, as the animals were returned to their pen once the show was over.
Police ordered the park closed for the day and investigated if something went wrong that led to the attack on the staff. No news about what happened to the tiger in the safari park was reported after the attack.
Nasu Safari Park posted on social media about a tiger attack on January 5, mentioning that one worker got hurt. On Wednesday, the post stated that the incident is under investigation, and once the detail is complete, it will be published.
It offers tours on buses or for those with cars to see all the wildlife, keeping as many as 700 with pachyderms and giraffes living in reserve, citing the Daily Sabah.
According to the media, the park has had prior incidents regarding safety, recalling guards who were attacked by lions in 1997 and 2000.
Tiger gets shot after attacking zoo worker
This week's attack comes barely days after another zoo worker in Florida was attacked by a tiger when he allegedly reached thru the fence to pet the big cat.
Last December 29, River Rosenquist, 26, of Naples, was on the ground and bleeding as the carnivore was attacking him while feeling the claws on his body. He begged for help because it would be fatal.
Collier County sheriff's deputies tried kicking the enclosure, where Eko, an eight-year-old Malayan tiger, was housed, in an attempt to get the animal to free the worker. The deputy officer failed to stop the attack and resorted to firing his service firearm with a single shot to save the victim.
Eko got hit with one shot and let go of Rosenquist when he got shot fatally and went to the back of the cage, where he died.
Deputies reveal they arrived at 6:26 pm on a Wednesday when the helper endangered himself and got the tiger shot due to his stunt. He was not supposed to get near the tiger or pet the animal. A spate of these attacks is alarming how they occur.