[h=3]By JENNIFER MALONEY, TAMER EL-GHOBASHY and ALISON FOX[/h]A 25-year-old man was critically injured by a tiger Friday after jumping from a monorail into the tiger enclosure at the Bronx Zoo, officials said.
Vaune TrachtmanEntrance to the Bengali Express Monorail at the Bronx Zoo.
David Villalobos, of Mahopac, N.Y., was riding the zoo's open-air monorail through the 43-acre Wild Asia exhibit at about 3:23 p.m. when he leaped out, officials from the zoo and New York Fire Department said. He cleared the exhibit's perimeter fence and fell 17 feet, landing inside.
A 400-pound male Siberian tiger named Bachuta attacked him, mauling him with bites and puncture wounds on his arms, legs and back, Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny said. One of his legs may have to be amputated, a law-enforcement official said.
The zoo's emergency response staff used a CO2 fire extinguisher to distract the tiger away from Mr. Villalobos 10 minutes after he jumped into the exhibit, Mr. Breheny said. They then lured the tiger into its off-exhibit holding area and safely secured the animal. The keepers instructed Mr. Villalobos to roll under an electrified wire to safety. He was in the enclosure for about 30 minutes.
Mr. Villalobos, who was conscious and talking when the ambulance arrived, was taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.
Ten tigers rotate through the Wild Asia exhibit, which can be viewed only from the monorail. Bachuta is 11 years old and has lived at the zoo for about three years. He was the only tiger in the exhibit at the time.
Zoo officials shut down the monorail for the rest of the afternoon. Mr. Breheny said it was too soon to say whether the incident will prompt any changes.
"Anytime something like this happens obviously we... review everything," he said. "But we honestly think that we were providing a safe experience and this was just an extraordinary occurrence that happened."
He noted that Bachuta attacked in an unusual way. Tigers usually pick up their prey by the head or neck, which likely could have been fatal for Mr. Villalobos. "The tiger did nothing wrong in this episode," Mr. Breheny said. "This was a bad situation but it was a really good day for the Bronx Zoo because we have a cat which is still alive and we have this guy who we pulled out...and he's still alive."
Attacks in zoo enclosures are rare in New York. In 1985, a zookeeper was fatally mauled by two Siberian tigers at the Bronx Zoo when she entered their pen. And in 1987, an 11-year-old boy was killed by polar bears after he climbed into their enclosure at the Prospect Park Zoo.
Write to Jennifer Maloney at [email protected] and Tamer El-Ghobashy at [email protected]
A version of this article appeared September 22, 2012, on page A15 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Man Mauled After Leaping Into Tiger Den.
Vaune TrachtmanEntrance to the Bengali Express Monorail at the Bronx Zoo.
David Villalobos, of Mahopac, N.Y., was riding the zoo's open-air monorail through the 43-acre Wild Asia exhibit at about 3:23 p.m. when he leaped out, officials from the zoo and New York Fire Department said. He cleared the exhibit's perimeter fence and fell 17 feet, landing inside.
A 400-pound male Siberian tiger named Bachuta attacked him, mauling him with bites and puncture wounds on his arms, legs and back, Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny said. One of his legs may have to be amputated, a law-enforcement official said.
The zoo's emergency response staff used a CO2 fire extinguisher to distract the tiger away from Mr. Villalobos 10 minutes after he jumped into the exhibit, Mr. Breheny said. They then lured the tiger into its off-exhibit holding area and safely secured the animal. The keepers instructed Mr. Villalobos to roll under an electrified wire to safety. He was in the enclosure for about 30 minutes.
Mr. Villalobos, who was conscious and talking when the ambulance arrived, was taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.
Ten tigers rotate through the Wild Asia exhibit, which can be viewed only from the monorail. Bachuta is 11 years old and has lived at the zoo for about three years. He was the only tiger in the exhibit at the time.
Zoo officials shut down the monorail for the rest of the afternoon. Mr. Breheny said it was too soon to say whether the incident will prompt any changes.
"Anytime something like this happens obviously we... review everything," he said. "But we honestly think that we were providing a safe experience and this was just an extraordinary occurrence that happened."
He noted that Bachuta attacked in an unusual way. Tigers usually pick up their prey by the head or neck, which likely could have been fatal for Mr. Villalobos. "The tiger did nothing wrong in this episode," Mr. Breheny said. "This was a bad situation but it was a really good day for the Bronx Zoo because we have a cat which is still alive and we have this guy who we pulled out...and he's still alive."
Attacks in zoo enclosures are rare in New York. In 1985, a zookeeper was fatally mauled by two Siberian tigers at the Bronx Zoo when she entered their pen. And in 1987, an 11-year-old boy was killed by polar bears after he climbed into their enclosure at the Prospect Park Zoo.
Write to Jennifer Maloney at [email protected] and Tamer El-Ghobashy at [email protected]
A version of this article appeared September 22, 2012, on page A15 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Man Mauled After Leaping Into Tiger Den.