A tiger, kept in a zoo in southwest China's Yunnan Province, lost control and bit a
six-year-old girl who was waiting to take a picture with it
yesterday afternoon.
The accident occurred at around 2:30?PM when the girl,
named Ruixin, was standing behind the tiger together with her
mother and four other relatives waiting to take pictures with the
tiger.
When cameras flashed in front of the tiger, it suddenly turned
round and bit Ruixin in the head, witnesses said.
The tiger also bit the girl's mother on her left hand when she
attempted to rescue her daughter.
Animal trainers repeatedly hit the tiger with sticks and wooden
stools and successfully took the girl away about one minute later.
The girl was rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment, but the
operation failed to save her.
According to zoo administrators, the tiger is from a circus that
is giving commercial performance in the zoo. The circus has a total
of six tigers.
The zoo charges tourists 15 yuan (about US$2) or 5 yuan for
taking a photo with the tiger, depending on whether the tourists
use their own cameras or cameras of the zoo.
Performance of the circus has been suspended.
(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2007)