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A man jumped out of the Bronx Zoo's monorail into the tiger exhibit Friday afternoon, where he was badly mauled by one of the big cats before zoo employees rescued him using fire extinguishers, zoo officials said.
The man, believed to be around 25, severely injured his leg and foot in the attack, which happened just before 3:30 p.m., sources tell NBC 4 New York. He also has deep cuts to the back.
Once the tiger backed away, the man was instructed to roll under a hot wire to safety, Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny said in a statement. The keepers then called the tiger into its holding area and secured him there, Breheny said.
Once the tiger was contained, EMTs rushed to the scene and treated the man, officials said. He was conscious and talking as he was taken to the hospital by ambulance, Breheny said.
The victim was taken to Jacobi Hospital in critical condition.
It was not clear why he jumped from his car on the zoo's Wild Asia Monorail.
Earlier this month, Amur tiger triplets debuted at the Bronx Zoo, born to mother Katharina and father Sasha.
Zoo tiger attacks, while rare, can be deadly. In 1985, a zookeeper, Robin Silverman, 24, was killed when she was attacked by two Siberian tigers at the Bronx Zoo while trying to clean their cage.
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A man jumped out of the Bronx Zoo's monorail into the tiger exhibit Friday afternoon, where he was badly mauled by one of the big cats before zoo employees rescued him using fire extinguishers, zoo officials said.
The man, believed to be around 25, severely injured his leg and foot in the attack, which happened just before 3:30 p.m., sources tell NBC 4 New York. He also has deep cuts to the back.
Once the tiger backed away, the man was instructed to roll under a hot wire to safety, Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny said in a statement. The keepers then called the tiger into its holding area and secured him there, Breheny said.
Once the tiger was contained, EMTs rushed to the scene and treated the man, officials said. He was conscious and talking as he was taken to the hospital by ambulance, Breheny said.
The victim was taken to Jacobi Hospital in critical condition.
It was not clear why he jumped from his car on the zoo's Wild Asia Monorail.
Earlier this month, Amur tiger triplets debuted at the Bronx Zoo, born to mother Katharina and father Sasha.
Zoo tiger attacks, while rare, can be deadly. In 1985, a zookeeper, Robin Silverman, 24, was killed when she was attacked by two Siberian tigers at the Bronx Zoo while trying to clean their cage.
Get the latest from NBC 4 New York anywhere, anytime: iPhone/iPad App | SMS Alerts | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Instagram | RSS
[h=5][/h]
Get the latest headlines sent to your inbox!