The shocking moment tiger attacks and kills zookeeper who raised it from a cub in Chinese zoo

THE horrifying moment a zookeeper in China was mauled to death by a tiger he raised since it was a cub has been captured on video. WARNING: DISTURBING

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

THE shocking moment a zookeeper was mauled and eaten alive by a tiger he had raised since it was a cub at a Chinese zoo has been captured on video.

The employee, with the surname Wu, was with the tiger inside the large metal cage used for training exercises and circus performances when the big cat attacked, reports The Sun.

An official with the Fuzhou City Government in East China’s Fujian Province said the cat “suddenly bit onto and suffocated him to death.”

The tiger stands over the zookeeper’s lifeless body. Picture: Austral Scope

The statement said Wu had raised the tiger since it was a cub, and that it had been domesticated through long-term interaction with humans.

Officials described the tiger as “usually quite docile”.

Horrific footage taken by witnesses shows the cat standing over the lifeless trainer’s body inside the cage, with someone yelling: “Call the police!”

In another clip, blurred by Chinese media, the tiger appears to claw at the handler while other staff members frantically try driving the animal away from the man using a stick.

Staff gained access to the victim, but there were no signs of life and he was declared dead by paramedics.

A tiger mauls and kills a zookeeper who raised it from a cub in a Chinese zoo. Picture: Asiawire

Fuzhou Zoo said the animal used to perform for visitors as part of an event outsourced to a circus from East China’s Anhui Province.

The shows had already been stopped prior to the incident, with all its lions already shipped away but the tigers are still awaiting approval to be moved.

Last year a zoo caretaker was mauled to death by two white tiger cubs in southern India, just a week after he had taken the job.

The cubs launched the surprise attack when Anjaneya went into the animal’s enclosure to feed them their evening meal.

Married dad-of-two Anjaneya reportedly had no experience in handling the animals.

Suddenly, one of the tigers jumped and pounced on Anji, biting his neck, before dragging him into the safari area. The other cub later joined in.

The tigers were driven off but the keeper was already dead.

A young female zookeeper in Russia was attacked by a 15-year-old Siberian tiger last year. She was lucky to escape with her life, after witnesses threw things at the animal to distract it.

This story first appeared in The Sun.