Tiger shot after biting worker at Naples Zoo

Naples, Florida – After a man working for a third-party cleaning company was attacked and seriously injured at Florida’s Naples Zoo on Wednesday, a tiger was shot.

According to officials, the person was flown to the hospital for his injuries after the attack, Lee Memorial Hospital confirmed.

The 8-year-old Malayan tiger, Eko, later died after being shot by a sheriff’s deputy.

It appears the man who was attacked “traversed an initial fence barrier and put his arm through the fencing of the tiger enclosure,” before the tiger grabbed it, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

According to officials, preliminary information indicates the man may have tried to pet or feed the tiger, both of which are prohibited by the zoo.

The deputy at the scene was forced to shoot the tiger after he tried to get the tiger to let go of the man’s arm by kicking the enclosure, CCSO said.

The sheriff’s office said the tiger had been sedated by a veterinarian and would be examined when it was safe to do so.

CCSO and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating.

Eko was the only tiger at the zoo.