Shanghai zookeeper bitten to death by tiger

A male zookeeper was bitten to death by a South China tiger this morning at a tiger breeding area of the Shanghai Zoo.

The Shanghainese victim, surnamed Zhou, 57, was killed while cleaning a cage in the breeding area, a non-public area near the zoo, a colleague of his said.

The tiger is a 9-year-old male that has sired tiger cubs.

It is believed Zhou may have forgotten to close a gate when he entered the area. Zhou went in to clean the cage in the morning, but did not come out.

The South China tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces and has been classified as critically endangered since 1996.

An investigation is underway to confirm what happened, the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau said.