The festive spirit of Chinese Lunar New Year was suddenly disrupted by a terrifying video of yet another tiger attack in China in less than six months.
Multiple horrific footage circulating online showed a tiger attacking at a man and mauling him repeatedly at Youngor Wildlife Park in Ningbo, east China’s Zhejiang Province, on Sunday, while a few other tigers roamed around.
Some video clips also showed zookeepers trying to scare the tigers with firecrackers and water cannon but to no avail.
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Witnesses at the scene said that the man, who has been identified as Mr. Zhang, had approached the tiger closely before being dragged into the beast’s enclosure. Zhang was later sent to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead hours later.
The first official response was published on the official Weibo account of the tourism region’s management committee, Dongqianhu Tourism Committee, which administers the zoo.
Official Weibo response by Dongqianhu's Tourism Committee.
The statement said Zhang climbed over the three-meter wall at the zoo’s north entrance, without purchasing a ticket, and climbed another fence that had a clear warning forbidding visitors to enter the area.
A zoo staff reportedly told a local media outlet that a tiger was shot dead during the rescue operation, but the zoo hasn’t officially confirmed it.
A Chinese video news service Pear Video released an interview on Monday afternoon with a man it said was a relative of the victim. The man, surnamed Yang, blamed the tragedy on the zoo's "poor management" in the telephone interview.
"No one would have been able to climb into the enclosure had the zoo not left the chance open", Yang said.
Screenshot of a tourist mauled by two tigers.
When CGTN Digital contacted Dongqianhu’s management committee on Monday, the staff said they were not in a position to answer the question.
However, a majority of online uproar were focused on the zoo’s decision to shoot the tiger, with many commenting the animals should not be executed for their natural instinct. The security lapse at the zoo was also subject to criticism.
A Facebook user responds to the tiger attack.
The incident is second such attack in a Chinese natural park in the last six months, igniting massive public backlash on the safety loopholes of zoo management in China and also the irresponsibility of visitors.
Last July, a woman was mauled to death and another seriously injured after a tiger attack in Badaling Wildlife Park. The incident ended up being one of the most-discussed issues on Chinese social network.
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