Trainer brutally mauled to death at Fuzhou Zoo by tiger that he had raised from a cub

The animal was described as being normally quite ‘docile’

An unfortunate trainer was brutally mauled to death at the Fuzhou Zoo on Sunday by a tiger that he had raised since it was just a little cub.

Ghastly footage of the incident shows the fully-grown tiger taking swipes at the trainer, who is already lying injured on the ground inside a large cage, as other zoo workers cry out in helpless horror.

Some coworkers are seen poking the animal with a long stick and shouting, trying to scare it away from the trainer’s body, however, the beast appears reluctant to leave its prey, continuing to gnaw away at the trainer.

Eventually, workers were able to drive the tiger off and check on the man, finding no signs of life.

Beijing News reports that the local Fuzhou city government released a statement in the wake of the incident, identifying the victim as a trainer surnamed Wu who had been in charge of raising the tiger since it was a cub. The statement added that the animal was usually a “fairly docile” creature.

The tiger reportedly had been part of a circus-style performance at the zoo which was outsourced to an Anhui circus troupe. Government officials, however, had recently ordered the zoo to scrap its circus shows. The lions had already been transferred away, while the tigers were still awaiting approval.

Last May, the zoo’s circus shows were suspended following an incident in which one trainer was filmed kicking a black bear during a performance, provoking cries of protest from audience members.

Circus shows like these typically aren’t the best of environments for wild animals. Late last year, an angry tiger escaped from its cage during a performance at a traveling circus in Shanxi province, running wild as audience members fled the scene in terror.

Meanwhile, animals stuck in zoos typically have to wait for their food to come to them.

In one infamous incident in July 2016, a woman made the mistake of stepping out of her car during a safari-style trip through Beijing’s Badaling Wildlife Park while inside the park’s tiger enclosure. She was promptly snatched away by one tiger. Though she managed to survive the attack, her mother, who had rushed out to try to save her, unfortunately, did not.

In another similarly shocking incident in January 2017, a man was mauled to death by tigers at a zoo in Ningbo after he climbed over the zoo’s wall to avoid paying for an entrance ticket, hopping down inside the tiger enclosure.

[Images via Beijing News]