City was mauled by a tiger on Friday
after he leaped from an elevated
monorail train and plummeted over a fence into
an exhibit, police and zoo officials said.
Police, who initially reported the man had lost a
leg in the mauling, later said he suffered puncture
wounds to his back. They also said he suffered a
broken ankle and a broken arm, possibly from the
jump.
The attack happened at around 3 pm (local time)
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, leaping far enough to clear the
perimeter fence.
Details of what happened next were unclear, but
police said the tiger attacked. 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 in a statement. 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.
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