Post by account_disabled on Mar 4, 2024 2:14:01 GMT -6
A Malayan tiger was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy at the Naples Zoo in Florida on Wednesday after biting a man who reached into the fence of the big cat's enclosure.
Preliminary information indicates that the man was petting or feeding the animal, both unauthorized and dangerous activities.
Collier County Sheriff's Office in a statement about the incident.
According to The Huffington Post , the 26-year-old employee of HMI Commercial Cleaning Inc. was seriously injured in the incident. The cleaning service had been hired by the zoo to clean areas such as the bathrooms and gift shop, not the animal enclosures, according to the sheriff's office.
At some point after the zoo had closed for the day, the man climbed over a 4.5-foot fence separating the tiger — named Eko — from the public, the Naples Daily News reported. He then reached over a second fence, at which point the 8-year-old tiger bit his hand and pulled the man's arm into the enclosure.
Someone called sheriff's deputies to the zoo around 6:30 p.m. The sheriff's office, which has released body camera footage of the incident, says a deputy initially kicked the fence and tried to get Eko to let go of the man's arm.
When that didn't work, he shot the tiger. Eko then fled to the back of the enclosure, where a zoo veterinarian went to treat him but discovered that he had died from his wound.
"It's a very sad day at the zoo," spokeswoman Chile Mobile Number List Courtney Jolly told reporters at a news conference Thursday morning. She shared that the zoo was closed during the day to give keepers and other employees "time to process what has happened" and space to grieve.
He also said that the zoo ultimately supported the sheriff's office's decision to shoot Eko:
At the end of the day, if a person is in imminent danger, they have to take that action.
Portavoz Courtney Jolly.
Jolly had no updated information on the housekeeping employee's medical condition. The sheriff's office is still determining whether he will face any criminal charges.
Eko had lived at the zoo since December 2019, when he was transferred from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, The New York Times reported . In February 2020, the zoo published a blog post welcoming Eko and discussing the plight of critically endangered Malayan tigers, of which there are estimated to be fewer than 200 adults in the wild.
Eko is a great ambassador for his species. When visitors see it, we hope they will fall in love and want to learn how they can do their part to save their cousins in the wild.
Zoo.
The zoo frequently posts photos and videos of the charismatic tiger on Facebook, including wishing it a happy eighth birthday in November and, just on Tuesday, sharing a "Tongue Out Tuesday" photo of the big cat licking its nose.
Preliminary information indicates that the man was petting or feeding the animal, both unauthorized and dangerous activities.
Collier County Sheriff's Office in a statement about the incident.
According to The Huffington Post , the 26-year-old employee of HMI Commercial Cleaning Inc. was seriously injured in the incident. The cleaning service had been hired by the zoo to clean areas such as the bathrooms and gift shop, not the animal enclosures, according to the sheriff's office.
At some point after the zoo had closed for the day, the man climbed over a 4.5-foot fence separating the tiger — named Eko — from the public, the Naples Daily News reported. He then reached over a second fence, at which point the 8-year-old tiger bit his hand and pulled the man's arm into the enclosure.
Someone called sheriff's deputies to the zoo around 6:30 p.m. The sheriff's office, which has released body camera footage of the incident, says a deputy initially kicked the fence and tried to get Eko to let go of the man's arm.
When that didn't work, he shot the tiger. Eko then fled to the back of the enclosure, where a zoo veterinarian went to treat him but discovered that he had died from his wound.
"It's a very sad day at the zoo," spokeswoman Chile Mobile Number List Courtney Jolly told reporters at a news conference Thursday morning. She shared that the zoo was closed during the day to give keepers and other employees "time to process what has happened" and space to grieve.
He also said that the zoo ultimately supported the sheriff's office's decision to shoot Eko:
At the end of the day, if a person is in imminent danger, they have to take that action.
Portavoz Courtney Jolly.
Jolly had no updated information on the housekeeping employee's medical condition. The sheriff's office is still determining whether he will face any criminal charges.
Eko had lived at the zoo since December 2019, when he was transferred from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, The New York Times reported . In February 2020, the zoo published a blog post welcoming Eko and discussing the plight of critically endangered Malayan tigers, of which there are estimated to be fewer than 200 adults in the wild.
Eko is a great ambassador for his species. When visitors see it, we hope they will fall in love and want to learn how they can do their part to save their cousins in the wild.
Zoo.
The zoo frequently posts photos and videos of the charismatic tiger on Facebook, including wishing it a happy eighth birthday in November and, just on Tuesday, sharing a "Tongue Out Tuesday" photo of the big cat licking its nose.