The tiger Eko, who was killed after biting a man’s arm as he crossed the unauthorized section of the Naples Zoo, is seen in Naples, Fla., In this handwritten photo taken in March.
Naples Zoo / Reuters Handouts
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Naples Zoo / Reuters Handouts
The tiger Eko, who was killed after biting a man’s arm as he crossed the unauthorized section of the Naples Zoo, is seen in Naples, Fla., In this handwritten photo taken in March.
Naples Zoo / Reuters Handouts
A critically endangered tiger that attacked a man at Naples Zoo in the Caribbean Gardens, located in Naples, Fla., died after police shot the animal Wednesday night.
Eko, a Malayan tiger, 8 years old.
Man, who was severely injured in the attack, in his 20s and employed by a third-party service responsible for cleaning the gift shop and restrooms, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. He is not allowed near the tiger cage.
Police say the man was trying to pet or feed the animal when he reached over the second fence. The sheriff’s office said the tiger then grabbed the man’s arm and pulled him inside.
Authorities said that when the first co-pilot arrived on the scene, an attempt to get the tiger to release the man’s arm from its mouth had failed, and “the co-pilot was forced to shoot the animal.”
The zoo has a trained shooter team and a crisis leader on a daily basis when the zoo is open, but incidents occur when the zoo is closed, said Courtney Jolly, Public Relations Manager and marketing of the Naples Zoo, told reporters Thursday morning.
“At the end of the day, if a person is in imminent danger, they must take action,” Jolly said, “and we support CCSO [Collier County Sheriff’s Office] and unfortunately, the officer has to do his job. “
Police bodycam footage released of Thursday’s incident.
Jolly said that the zoo has never had an incident like this before, and no one has ever broken through the barrier and put themselves in that situation.
The zoo decided to close on December 30 as investigations continue.
“We give our employees some time to process what happened, but also give them time to begin the grieving and healing process,” Jolly said. “It was a very sad day at the zoo.”
Tien Le is an intern at NPR’s News Desk.
