A man has been mauled to death by a tiger after entering its enclosure at a zoo in eastern China.
Named by local reports as Mr Zhang, he is said to have scaled three fences after his wife and two children went in because he could not afford another entrance fee of 130 yuan (£15) to the Youngor Zoo in the city of Ningbo.
A local government statement said the victim allegedly passed through a wire netting and climbed a wall to enter the tiger enclosure while his friend stayed behind.
Once in, he was attacked by a tiger as onlookers watched from a distance. He was rushed to the nearest hospital where he was pronounced dead, the BBC reports.
The mauling took place at around 2:00pm when staff were said to have been feeding the animals. It happened in full view of park visitors, some of whom posted videos and pictures of the attack online.
In the videos circulating around social media, the man can be seen lying on the ground in the enclosure. A tiger appears to be biting his neck and head while two other tigers circle around him.
A series of loud explosive bangs can then be heard before one of the tigers is shot dead.
One witness told the South China Morning Post: “I saw the tiger mauling the person, whose face was covered with blood. Every time he sat up, the tiger pushed him down again.”
Our thoughts go out to Zhang and his family.
