Man Climbs Zoo Fence to Avoid Paying Entrance Fee, Gets Mauled to Death By Tigers

It took the special forces unit from the local police about an hour on Sunday before they could pull the man, identified by Dongqian Lake Tourist Resort Administrative Committee as Zhang from Hubei province, to safety, according to the BBC.

One of the tigers seen in the graphic video below was fatally shot by police, and the man was rushed to a local hospital. But by then, it was already too late as Zhang died from his injuries.

The park was closed to the public following the gruesome attack and stayed closed on Monday.

Zhang was reportedly visiting the zoo with his wife, kids, as well as his coworker, Li, and his wife.

The women bought tickets for themselves and the little ones and entered the zoo, but the two men thought they could avoid paying extra by climbing up a 10-foot-tall outer wall.

They then scaled a second 10-foot-wall, even though there were clear warning signs posted around and iron fencing on top of the walls, the tourism authority said.

Zhang dropped down into the tiger enclosure and was attacked by one of the tigers, while Li ended up staying behind the second wall.

Disturbing footage on social media rounds show a pack of tigers circling Zhang before they were scared off by rescuers using fireworks and water hoses, reported Shanghaiist.

The tiger who mauled Zhang remained unphased and dragged him away by the neck. The animal was later shot and killed by police.

The incident was met with heavy criticism from Chinese netizens, with many mourning the tiger, instead of Zhang.

“A fucking idiot climbs over two walls into a tiger’s home and the tiger gets shot and killed for doing what is natural. How is that fair? They should have just let him die,” one user opined.

Back in July, a mother met a similar fate when her daughter got out of their vehicle while going through a safari-style tour in Beijing’s Badaling Wildlife Park.

The young woman was dragged away by one of the tigers, but survived the incident. Her mother, who chased after the animal to try and rescue her, was not so lucky.