A young man has been killed by a white tiger at a New Delhi zoo.
A spokesman said the youth climbed over a fence at the zoo and jumped into the animal’s enclosure.
Despite repeated warnings that he shouldn't get too close to the outdoor enclosure, the man eventually climbed over a knee-high fence, through some small hedges, then jumped down 18 feet into a protective moat, said National Zoological Park spokesman Riyaz Ahmed Khan.
The man is approached by the tiger
The tiger, which lives on a grassy tree-filled island, grabbed the man from the moat. Footage broadcast on NDTV showed the tiger carrying the man around the island.
Authorities eventually frightened the tiger into a small cage inside the enclosure.
The man, whose body remained in the outdoor enclosure two hours after the attack, was dead by the time help reached him, Khan said.
A tiger expert has said the animal behaved normally during the incident
"The tiger was just being a tiger," said Belinda Wright, who has spent years working to protect India's dwindling numbers of wild tigers.
"An unusual object fell into his domain. ... He's a wild animal in captivity. It is certainly not the tiger's fault."
Deputy Commissioner of Police M.S. Randhawa identified the man only as Maqsood and said he was thought to be about 20-years-old.
Further details about him and the tiger were not immediately available.
The zoo remained open Tuesday afternoon, though authorities eventually roped off the tiger enclosure.