Authorities Say A Tiger Was Fatally Shot At A Florida Zoo After Attacking A Worker's Arm.

 

According to early information, a deputy shot the tiger after a cleaning service worker pushed his arm through fencing and the tiger seized it.

A cleaning worker at the Naples Zoo in Florida was critically mauled by a tiger on Wednesday after the guy apparently slipped his arm into the animal's enclosure, according to authorities.

According to the zoo, Eko, an 8-year-old Malayan tiger, was shot and killed by a sheriff's officer.

The sheriff's office claimed in a statement that the first cop on the site kicked the enclosure and tried to get the tiger to remove the man's arm from its mouth, but the deputy was forced to fire the animal.

According to the sheriff's office, the worker, a man in his twenties, was critically hurt and rushed to the hospital.

The tiger returned into its enclosure after being shot and was sedated by a veterinarian so it could be safely examined, according to the sheriff's office. Later, a zoo spokesman confirmed that the animal had perished.

The tiger was initially estimated to be four years old by the sheriff's office.

According to the sheriff's office, the individual works for a third-party cleaning firm that was paid to clean the facilities and the gift shop and was not meant to be in that area.

The sheriff's office claimed the man looked to be trying to pet or feed the tiger, but that this was preliminary information.

According to the sheriff's office, the man "crossed an initial fence barrier and put his arm through the fencing of the tiger enclosure" before the tiger seized it.

The incident is also being investigated by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, according to the agency.