Man Mauled By Tiger After Scaling Calgary Zoo's Fence (VIDEO)

TORONTO (AP)-- A man who broke into the Calgary Zoo overnight and scaled a fence around a tiger exhibit is hospitalized with serious injuries to his arms after he was attacked by a tiger.

Zoo spokesman Grahame Newton says two men, both 27, broke into the zoo at around 1 a.m. early Monday by scaling a 2.5-meter (8-feet)-high main fence topped with barbed wire.

Newton says one man climbed an outer safety fence around the tiger enclosure. A Siberian tiger, a 2-year-old male named Vitali, hooked the man with a claw and pulled the man's arm through the inner fence.

Police are investigating and say they are considering charges of breaking and entering. They haven't determined whether alcohol was involved.

Watch video report filed by Calgary Herald:

Comments

[KataVideo]

12:50 PM on 10/08/2009

yep, bet they feel really macho right now

[jmattei]

01:11 PM on 10/07/2009

I can't resist . . . a few facts: I DO live in Calgary, over 2000 miles West of Toronto, and like it very much. Canadians, in general, are not much interested in emigrating to the U.S., we do however enjoy observing from a safe distance.
In Western Canada, we understand the respective roles of predators and prey in nature.
Health care in Canada is NOT free, it is simply universal, which bodes well for the future of the latest Darwin Awards nominee.
The Calgary Zoo maintains a habitat for Siberian Tigers (the climate is appropriate) and has successfully bred them over many years. In order for this to happen, the habitat must be suitable. The reason for the fences is to keep the humans out. I am not certain whether Vitali was bred in Calgary, but he is in absolutely no danger of being euthanized.
Think of it this way; Vitali is a teenage boy roaming around the house in the middle of the night. He comes across something that looks remarkably like a snack, so he does what all teenage boys do when they see food. He eats it!
And one last thing: The attitude of Calgarians, and Canadians in general I think, toward this sort of thing is summed up well by a radio-show caller yesterday -- "So many idiots, so few tigers."
The fool will be prosecuted. There will be no law suit. The Zoo will review it's security.The tiger will be happy.

[MosheDayanHero]

09:22 PM on 10/06/2009

If you lived in Calgary you'd be out of your mind too.

[CigarGod]

01:16 PM on 10/06/2009

Maybe they were bartenders and someone had ordered a Flying Tiger...

[JohnFromCensornati]

12:49 PM on 10/06/2009

You can't say he didn't ask for that.

[MosheDayanHero]

12:15 PM on 10/06/2009

Hope the tiger didn't ding his claws.

[Catch22isms]

12:12 PM on 10/06/2009

I really hope the tiger isn't put down because of these morons. There are so few left in the wild, and they're truly incredible cats - the largest in the world.

[bbaker2580]

01:58 PM on 10/06/2009

gotta agree with you there! so unfortunate that they sometimes "euthanize" captive animals for acting like they're supposed to act due to the foolish acts of humans (unlike suburbanite day-time marauding racoon-terrorists) - must also agree with the poster below about thinning the herd.

[exhale09]

12:04 PM on 10/06/2009

And for his next act he will jump into the Alligator enclosure....

[stanschurman]

11:56 AM on 10/06/2009

It's nice to know that the tiger isn't being euthanized as is so often the case when man stupidly invades a wild animal's space.

[thepianodiva]

11:34 AM on 10/06/2009

And he votes.

[totaldisbelief]

12:14 PM on 10/06/2009

and breeds.

[ksjprod]

01:29 PM on 10/06/2009

Relax, he's only Canadian!

[ScoutandBuckGoodDogs]

11:33 AM on 10/06/2009

Darwin award winner!

Kind of deserves what he gets...

[ScoutandBuckGoodDogs]

11:35 AM on 10/06/2009

This is what Kirk Cameron is missing when he puts down the whole Darwin thing. We could do with some evangelicals jumping into the tiger cages...

[seereene1]

11:29 AM on 10/06/2009

Wow. It's so much easier to thin the herd when the herd jumps into the predators mouth!

[gascelebrations]

11:07 AM on 10/06/2009

In the words of Chris Rock, "that tiger didn't go crazy, that tiger went tiger".

[ksjprod]

01:30 PM on 10/06/2009

EXACTLY!!!!!

[yourmotherwasahamster]

10:59 AM on 10/06/2009

They had to be drunk or high and acting on a dare. It's too depressing to think anyone is really that stupid naturally. Maybe it's people like that who are the reason my blowdryer has a warning on it not to use while bathing.

[american2008]

11:08 AM on 10/06/2009

These guys may be related to the teabaggers and birthers down here in the states. They seem to have the same level of making decisions based on i diocy!

[Mitochondria]

10:56 AM on 10/06/2009

That reporter would be a great meal for the tiger.

[VentiMocha09]

11:54 AM on 10/06/2009

He was a little rotundish wasn't he? LOL~