Tigers are almost always the top predators in whatever environment they are found in.
Whether the lush jungles of India or the frigid heights of Russia’s Sikhote-Alin Mountains, tigers, like almost all animals, were born to roam free.
This makes zoos extremely difficult places to keep safely. No matter how much space they are given, an enclosure is an enclosure: they are forced to adopt behaviors completely unnatural to them, including being active during the day and waiting for food to be delivered.
It is no wonder that so many tigers kept in zoos lash out at their keepers, as this Russian keeper was unfortunate enough to learn.
The anonymous zookeeper, at the heart of Kaliningrad Zoo, Kaliningrad, was horribly mauled by the big cat, Typhoon, after it jumped on her when the opportunity presented itself – an accidentally opened gate.
While the keeper went to get the predator’s food, Typhoon pounced on her.
The wild animal was described by sources at the time of the attack in 2017 as “aggressive and bad-tempered”, although one source said: “Typhoon had never shown any aggression towards zoo staff before.”
This was of no consolation to the zookeeper, with alarming images showing the woman face up on the ground with the tiger on top of her, apparently about to go in for the kill.
A zookeeper in Russia is lucky to be alive after being severely mauled by a male tiger while eating its food. Part of the animal’s cage was accidentally left open, allowing it to attack
Horrified visitors watched as Typhoon dragged the woman to the ground and began attacking her.
The guests managed to distract the big cat by throwing stones, sticks, a table and a bench from a cafe near the enclosure, allowing the keeper to escape.
But the goalkeeper was not alone. With her, although much further away, was a group of visitors who, upon seeing the distressing situation, began to throw stones and shout at Typhoon, distracting him.
The commotion also alerted other visitors, who joined the curious and began to help the zookeeper, distracting him even more.
Bloodied and battered, the goalkeeper still had enough strength to escape.
As soon as Typhoon left, the goalkeeper was able to run. to a safe part of the complex.
“The girl’s face was bleeding,” said one account based on witness accounts.
“She screamed and tried to fight the animal.”
The Siberian tiger, the largest cat in the world, had to be contained in another part of its enclosure when the woman brought it food.
But there was clearly a problem and the cat, described as “elderly”, was able to attack.
The typhoon (pictured) was described as “aggressive and moody”
Zoos have warnings not to lean over barriers
A spokesman praised the visitors after the near-fatal incident.
“The animal entered the enclosure when the keeper was there,” a statement said. “The tiger attacked the human.”
‘The visitors with their screams, stones and other improvisations managed to distract the animal. This allowed the zoo employee to hide in a back room.’
It was even the visitors who called an ambulance.
Later, zoo staff arrived at the spot and shot a sedative at the tiger.
A spokesperson for the local Ministry of Health said at the time: “The patient was taken to hospital with multiple injuries to the body and limbs.
“He is conscious and his condition is considered stable but critical. There is no threat to his life.
The woman was taken to an intensive care unit at a hospital in Kaliningrad, a Russian region located between Poland and Lithuania, and a criminal investigation was opened.
The tiger was reported to be “stressed” after the attack, but was not destroyed despite tasting human blood, Russian zoo officials said.
“The animal, which also suffered a lot of stress, is in its enclosure,” a statement from the zoo states.
A spokesman said: “The Siberian tiger is a territorial animal. Protecting its territory is its natural instinct.
‘This animal acted in complete accordance with its instinct. It wasn’t assault. It was the defense of their territory.’
The Siberian tiger was born on July 1, 2001 in the Chelyabinsk Zoo and was later transferred to the Kaliningrad Zoo.
In the wild, these tigers, a critically endangered species, have a life expectancy of 15 years.