The Amur tiger that mauled a young woman who climbed over two fences before sticking her arm into its enclosure in Dublin Zoo yesterday will not be put down, zoo's director insisted today.
The woman (19), whom onlookers said appeared to be drunk, was seriously injured by the rare tiger. She and a male companion first climbed a solid two-metre timber barrier into a service area and then over a smaller wall before pushing their way through dense vegetation.
The woman then stuck her arm into the enclosure through the mesh of a six-metre high fence.
There were two female cats and one male in the area. The male grabbed the woman's arm and tried to drag her through the fence. It eventually released her and she was rescued by zoo staff.
She is now recovering in James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, where she is said to be in a stable condition. It is understood she will have surgery on her badly-mauled arm later today.
The director of Dublin Zoo, Leo Oosterweghel, said the tigers reacted as they would in the wild. "The tigers obviously reacted the way tigers would, they are wild animals," he said.
Mr Oosterweghel said the pair were also carrying a soft drink bottle with alcohol in it and may have been drinking. "I suspect their judgment was impaired," he said. "Her injuries were significant, the tiger really ripped into her arm and must have pulled her arm through when she stuck it in."
Damien Dawson, from Carlow, who was visiting the zoo with his partner and two children, described the attack on RTÉ Radio this morning .
"We just noticed a couple of tigers running towards the corner of their enclosure at a very quick speed and a couple of seconds later then we just noticed a young chap coming screaming down the corner of the enclosure pleading for help," he said. "As we got over closer we noticed the young girl in a terrible state with blood all over her."
Zoo staff put the girl in a wheelchair and pushed her down to the entrance to the African Plains area of the zoo where the ambulance was waiting.
Mr Oosterweghel said the ambulance arrived within ten minutes and was parked 20 metres from the tiger enclosure.
The tigers will not be put down, he added. "They are beautiful animals and this was a natural reaction for the tigers if someone sticks their hand through the mesh."