A man mauled to death by tigers at Bloemfontein Zoo on Sunday was a robber who ended up in the cage while fleeing arrest, police said on Tuesday.
Captain Elsa Gerber said it appears the man and a friend had been robbing people at the zoo. He fled into the enclosure to avoid arrest.
The man’s body was noticed by a visitor to the zoo at noon on Sunday.
His clothes were in tatters and he was covered in cuts, scratches and bruises.
However, his body was intact, indicating that the animals had not tried to feed on him.
Gerber said a post-mortem was being conducted to determine the exact cause of his death. — Sapa