Indian white tiger kills student at Delhi zoo

Man reportedly climbed over knee-high fence and jumped into animal’s enclosure

A still from YouTube showing an Indian student in the white tiger enclosure in Delhi zoo. The tiger killed him after he  climbed over a fence at the zoo and  jumped into the animal’s enclosure.
A still from YouTube showing an Indian student in the white tiger enclosure in Delhi zoo. The tiger killed him after he climbed over a fence at the zoo and jumped into the animal’s enclosure.

A white tiger has killed an Indian student who climbed over a fence at the New Delhi zoo in India before jumping into the animal's enclosure.

Despite repeated warnings that he should not get too close to the outdoor enclosure, the student eventually climbed over a knee-high fence and small hedges, then jumped down 18ft into a protective moat, said National Zoological Park spokesman Riyaz Ahmed Khan.

The tiger, which lives on a grassy tree-filled island, grabbed the man from the moat.

Authorities eventually frightened the tiger into a small cage inside the enclosure.

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The man, whose body remained in the outdoor enclosure two hours after the attack, was dead by the time help reached him, Mr Khan said.

The man has not been identified.

The zoo remained open, though authorities eventually roped off the tiger enclosure.

White tigers are incredibly rare as their colouration is dependent on a defective, recessive gene that is passed on from their parents.

Agencies