Tourist mauled to death by tigers at Chinese zoo after he climbed into enclosure ‘to avoid admission fee’

Horrified visitors at a zoo in China watched in shock when a group of tigers kill a man who climbed into their enclosure.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

The victim, identified only by his surname of Zhang, was filmed being mauled to death by the animals at Ningbo Younger Zoo in eastern China’s Zhejiang province.

He is said to have climbed a fence to avoid paying the zoo’s admission fee before finding himself in the enclosure while his wife and children paid.

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One of the tigers attacked Zhang before gripping him by his neck as he desperately kicks out when the others approach him.

According to eyewitnesses, Zhang’s clothes were ripped from his body before he was dragged into the forest by a tiger as officials tried to scare the others away using firecrackers and water cannons.

One witness told the South China Morning Post : “I saw the tiger mauling the person, whose face was covered with blood.

“Every time he sat up, the tiger pushed him down again.”

One of the tigers was eventually shot dead and officials managed to disperse the rest before recovering Zhang from the enclosure.

He was rushed to hospital but is reported to have died from his injuries.

The incident has sparked fresh controversy about keeping large animals in zoos.

PETA’s vice president of international campaigns, Jason Baker, said in a statement: “Attacks by captive big cats on people – which occur with staggering regularity – illustrate the profound level of stress, anxiety and agitation these animals experience every day of their lives.”

Top pic: YouTube