Don't Climb into a Siberian Tiger Gage

Tiger mauls men at Calgary Zoo

By JENNA McMURRAY , Sun Media

Police and Calgary Zoo officials are investigating an incident where two men were attacked by a Siberian tiger after allegedly breaking into zoo property around 1 a.m. this morning.

The two men, both aged 27, are believed to have scaled an eight-foot fence to gain access to the zoo and then climbed over a 42-inch fence outside the tiger enclosure and approached the cage where the zoo's three tigers live.  Zookeepers believe Vitali, a two-year-old male tiger, hooked onto one of the men's arms with his claws.  Though it is not known how this happened, zoo officials said tigers cannot reach outside the cage so the men were likely pressed up against or reaching inside the cage. Read more after the jump


Both men suffered injuries in the attack and were taken to hospital after calling the personal cell phone of one of their friends who happened to be an on duty security officer at the zoo.
One of the men has been released and the other remains there with serious injuries, believed to be a combination of bites and claw gouges.
Police are investigating the incident and said the two men could be facing break and enter as well as tresspassing charges.
Vitali has been examined by the zoo's vet and is now back on display.
The last time someone who broke into the zoo was mauled was in the 1990s.
A British soldier based at CFB Suffield, who sneaked into to the zoo after hours, was mauled by a polar bear.The soldier got in harm’s way after dropping a pack of cigarettes into a courtyard next to the polar bear enclosure. The squaddie shimmied down a spruce tree to recover his smokes and was clawed at by the polar bear as he escaped back up the tree.
The victim walked over to the former General Hospital’s emergency ward, but police followed him by his blood trail.
With files from Tarina White.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/alberta/2009/10/05/11310026.html