NEW YORK (AP) - A visitor to the Bronx Zoo leaped from an elevated monorail train on Friday, plummeted over a fence into an exhibit and was mauled by a tiger, police and zoo officials said.
The man was alone with the 400-pound beast for about 10 minutes before being rescued, zoo officials said. He suffered bites and punctures on his arms, legs, shoulders and back and broke an arm and a leg.
The attack happened at around 3 p.m. in the Wild Asia exhibit, where a train with open sides takes visitors over the Bronx River and through a forest, where they glide along the top edge of a fence, past elephants, deer and a tiger enclosure.
Passengers aren't strapped in on the ride, and the 25-year-old man apparently jumped out of his train car, with a leap powerful enough to clear the perimeter fence.
The man was attacked by an 11-year-old male tiger that has been at the zoo for three years. The zoo's staff used a fire extinguisher to chase the tiger off, and the man was instructed to roll under an electrified wire to get to safety, zoo director Jim Breheny said. Zookeepers then called the tiger into a holding area.
The man was conscious and talking after the mauling, Breheny said.
"If not for the quick response by our staff and their ability to perform well in emergency situations, the outcome would have been very different," he said.
Police said the man was hospitalized in critical condition.
The Bronx Zoo, one of the nation's largest, sprawls over 265 acres and contains hundreds of animals, many in habitats meant to resemble natural settings. Its exhibits include Tiger Mountain, Congo Gorilla Forest and World of Reptiles.
The tiger did nothing wrong and will not be euthanized, zoo officials said. It was back in a holding area where it usually sleeps at night.
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Associated Press writer Tom Hays contributed to this report.
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 8:41 PM EDT2013-06-20 00:41:19 GMT
James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of a brutal, emotionally delicate mob boss in HBO's "The Sopranos" helped create one of TV's greatest drama series and turned the mobster stereotype on its head, died Wednesday in Italy. He was 51.
James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of a brutal, emotionally delicate mob boss in HBO's "The Sopranos" helped create one of TV's greatest drama series and turned the mobster stereotype on its head, died Wednesday in Italy. He was 51.
Former investigators of the TWA Flight 800 crash off Long Island are calling on the National Transportation Safety Board to re-examine the case.
Former investigators are pushing to reopen the probe into the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800, saying new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile strike may have downed the jumbo jet.
A tropical depression has formed off the coast of Belize and forecasters say it is expected to bring as much as five inches of rain to parts of Belize, Guatemala and northern Honduras.
Tropical Storm Barry formed off Mexico's Gulf Coast on Wednesday, prompting Mexican authorities to ready hundreds of shelters.
The Federal Reserve says it will maintain the pace of its program to keep long-term interest rates at record lows, but offered a slightly more optimistic outlook for the U.S. economy and job market.
In a move that could send interest rates higher, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke ended weeks of speculation Wednesday by saying the Federal Reserve will likely slow its bond-buying program this year and end it next year because...
Wednesday, June 19 2013 3:54 PM EDT2013-06-19 19:54:51 GMT
Kolcraft is recalling more than 96,000 Jeep Liberty strollers after at least 18 people were injured by tire blowouts, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.
Kolcraft is recalling more than 96,000 Jeep Liberty strollers after at least 18 people were injured by tire blowouts, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 1:13 PM EDT2013-06-19 17:13:49 GMT
An unemployed teacher was driving home after dropping her cat off at a veterinarian when she noticed a bag on the street. Little did she know it contained $20,000.
An unemployed teacher was driving home after dropping her cat off at a veterinarian when she noticed a bag on the street. Little did she know it contained $20,000.
Chrysler says it has resolved its differences with the government and will recall older Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty SUVs that could be at risk of a fuel tank fire.
After initially defying federal regulators, Chrysler abruptly agreed Tuesday to recall some older-model Jeeps with fuel tanks that could rupture and cause fires in rear-end collisions.
Award-winning journalist and war correspondent Michael Hastings has died in a car accident in Los Angeles.
Award-winning journalist and war correspondent Michael Hastings, whose unflinching reporting ended the career of a top American army general, died early Tuesday in a car accident in Los Angeles, his employer and family said.
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