A teenage girl was recovering in hospital after being mauled by a rare Amur Siberian tiger in Dublin Zoo, after scaling two fences and sticking her arm into the enclosure.
The 19-year-old, who it is believed had been drinking, first climbed a solid 6ft timber barrier into a service area and then over a smaller 4ft wall before pushing her way through dense vegetation.
Confronted by a 20ft high heavy wire mesh fence, the teenager stuck her arm into the enclosure to where one of the two female cats and one male was resting.
Parents and children looked on in horror as the tiger lunged at her and grabbed her arm trying to pull her through the fence.
She was taken to James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown for treatment. A spokeswoman for the hospital said she was in a stable condition. It is understood she is undergoing surgery.
Leo Oosterweghel, director of Dublin Zoo, said the tigers, which can grow up to 3.5m in length, reacted as they would in the wild. "The tigers obviously reacted the way tigers would, they are wild animals," he said.
Mr Oosterweghel said the pair were also carrying a soft drink bottle with alcohol in it and may have been drinking.
"I suspect their judgment was impaired," he said. "Her injuries were significant, the tiger really ripped into her arm and must have pulled her arm through when she stuck it in."
3 comments:
I haven't seen our N Irish friend online since this story. She's a wee thing.... I'm concerned... She could easily be mistaken for 19 or 13... :)
jeeeeez, just about the time you think the human race is making progress..stuff like this happens...but exactly how drunk do you have to be to think...'i think i will go stick my arm into a cage with some wild tigers?'
Come to think of it I haven't seen her either ... and the description is uncanny !
Hence my title JS :)
Some people are fuckwits
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