A tiger in a Ukrainian zoo killed a woman trying to clean the animal’s cage by mistake, Interfax news agency reported on Thursday.
The incident occurred at the Kiev city zoo after the 23-year-old woman confused enclosure doors, entered the cage of a tiger known to be dangerous, and began collecting trash.
The female tiger, named Svetlana, attacked the woman almost immediately, biting the victim in the neck and breaking her backbone.
The woman died in an ambulance on the way to hospital, according to Magnolia TV, a Kiev-produced television programme reporting on crime and police news.
The tiger, Svetlana, will not be put to sleep and will continue to live at the zoo, as the big cat is known to be dangerous and simply acted on instincts when potential prey entered its territory, said Serhy Luhovy, a zoo spokesperson.
The Kiev city zoo will pay for the woman’s funeral, he said. — Sapa-DPA