Man attacked by tiger at Calgary Zoo

2009-10-05

Chuck Chiang & Sherri Zickfoose, Calgary Herald

A man has been sent to hospital after being injured by a tiger at the Calgary Zoo this morning, officials said.

Zoo staff says two men - including the person eventually hurt in the incident - sneaked into the zoo at about 1 a.m. unnoticed. This was when, officials said, the pair decided to go to the tigers exhibit in the zoo, where the injured man made contact with one of the tigers and sustained injuries to his arms. It is unclear at this point what the exact nature of his injury is, but zoo officials say it is "significant." The injured man is believed to be clawed and bitten, police say.

In order to get to the tiger, the men scaled a 42-inch fence, one of two barriers to keep the public safe from the carnivores. Speaking to the media Monday morning, zoo officials say it is likely the man had a part of his arm caught by the tiger's claw before getting his entire arm dragged into the enclosure. Officials added that it is impossible for the man to make contact with the animal unless he was right up against the fence, since it was designed to keep the animals in the enclosure.

Police say the men, 27, used a cell phone to call a female security guard they knew after the tiger mauled one of them. The zoo staffer took the men to a security office and 911 was called Police say criminal charges of break and enter are pending.

The injured man had to be taken to Foothills Hospital in an ambulance. The other man also suffered minor injuries. At this point, staff members say they don't believe the man entered the actual tiger enclosure.

Zookeepers described the two-year-old tiger involved in the incident, Vitali, as one of the most laid back tigers at the Calgary Zoo. Zookeepers speculate that Vitalimay have been spooked by the unexpected intrusion during the late-night hours, which may have led to the attack.

Officials say Vitali was initially showing stress when keepers got to him this morning, but have since calmed down.

Police are investigating the incident and no additional information is available at this time, a department spokesman said this morning.

The tigers kept at the Calgary Zoo are Siberian Tigers that can be anywhere from 3.05 to 3.66 metres in length and weigh up to 306 kilograms, according to the zoo website. It is the largest cat species in the world.

Animal experts say these tigers are tremendous hunters and have the ability to leap up to 10 metres, although it usually jumps half that distance during regular activities. The animals are also known to fiercely defend their territories and food resources within those areas.

A similar incident happened in San Francisco just a week ago. On Sept. 26, a man sneaked into a grizzly bear pen at the San Francisco Zoo but was promptly spotted and removed. The man was uninjured in that incident. Officials there credit new security measures implemented since a 2007 attack - by a Siberian Tiger - at the San Francisco Zoo that killed one man and injured two others.