White tiger kills zookeeper in Japan

A white tiger rests in its enclosure at the Belgrade's zoo, in Belgrade, Serbia, on August 14. In Jaoan on Monday, a white tiger reportedly killed a zookeeper. The incident is under investigation. Photo by Koca Sulelmanovic/EPA-EFE

Oct. 9 (UPI) — A white tiger mauled a zookeeper to death in a zoological park in Japan, authorities said Monday.

Akira Furusho, 40, was found dead in the tiger’s cage in the Hirakawa Zoological Park,  in the southern city of Kagoshima. According to Kyodo News, Furusho was bleeding from the neck when his body was found.

Zoo workers tranquilized the tiger before rescue workers arrived on the scene.

The zoo’s handling of its white tigers is under investigation.

The Hirakawa Zoological Park has been opened since 1972 and keeps four white tigers in captivity.

According to the Guardian, this was the second animal attack on a zookeeper in Japan this year.

In March, a gorilla at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo bit a worker on the arm, which prompted an investigation into how the zoo protects employees from dangerous animals.

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