Humans share the Earth with a huge number of incredibly but potentially dangerous animals. They are a constant reminder that we do not have dominion over them, even if we are able to get some of nature's biggest apex predators in our zoos. Animals like tigers and sharks will always be at the top of the food chain and have the capacity to cause grievous bodily harm or even death to humans. However, it is not likely that any of them would try to harm any of us unless they are provoked.
While Terrified Tourists Looked On, This Siberian Tiger Mauled A 16-Year-Old Zookeeper.
By
Missy aka Tizzy in
Heartbreaking
On 25th January 2018
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Top Of The Food Chain
A good example of one of the world's deadliest animals is the killer whale, also known as orcas. They have been responsible for several deaths while in captivity, but there are no incidents of them hurting humans while in the wild.
Our most recent reminder that we do not hold absolute dominion over wild animals came in the form of a Siberian tiger attacking a 16-year-old zookeeper. The terrifying incident happened at the Kaliningrad Zoo in Russia in front of a group of terrified tourists.
Feeding Time
The tiger's name is Taifun, which translates to Typhoon. He was being fed when he suddenly attacked the young zookeeper. Tourists captured the whole incident on their phones in a series of photos that showed this enormous Siberian tiger going in for the kill. One witness said, "The girl’s face was bleeding. She screamed and tried to fight off the animal."
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Killer Cats
A little-known fact about tigers is that a larger population exists in captivity than in the wild, and, because of this, a shockingly high number of keepers have lost their lives in this manner. Between 1800 and 2009, tigers have killed almost 400,000 people.
15-year-old Typhoon is a Siberian tiger, the world's largest cat. When the zookeeper entered his enclosure, she did so because she thought that he was safely locked away in another part of his compound. Sadly, that was not the case.
Quick Thinking Tourists
Thankfully, the zookeeper did not become another statistic. Her life was spared because of the quick thinking of the onlooking tourists. When the young girl was getting mauled, the tourists sprang into action trying to save her life since there was no other staff in the area. They started yelling and throwing stones and furniture from a nearby cafe into the enclosure in hopes of distracting the massive cat. Thankfully, it worked and the zookeeper was able to run to safety in another part of the enclosure.
"The animal entered the enclosure when the keeper was there," a zoo spokesperson said. "The tiger attacked the human. Visitors with their shouting, stones, and other improvisation managed to distract the animal. This allowed the zoo employee to hide in a back room."
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Injured But Alive
The whole commotion got the attention of the staff, and Typhoon was rendered immobile with a sedative. And even though the zookeeper managed to escape with her life, she was seriously injured during the incident and had to be rushed to the hospital.
"The patient was delivered to the hospital with multiple wounds to the body and limbs," a local health ministry spokesman said. "She is conscious, her condition is assessed as stable but critical. There is no threat to her life."
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Typhoon Will Live
Typhoon had never shown this kind of aggression before. Thankfully, Typhoon was not put down because of this incident since it is in his nature to defend his territory. We wish the zookeeper who was injured the best while she recovers and hope that this incident does not stop her from loving these beautiful animals.
