Cop kills rare Malayan tiger Eko in Florida zoo after it grabbed man who tried to PET HIM
In a horrific incident, Florida cop shot and killed an old Malayan tiger, Eko at the Naples Zoo in Florida on Wednesday, December 29. The rare 8-year-old tiger grabbed a man's arm and pulled him into its enclosure after he tried to "pet and feed" the predator. The body camera of the cop shows how fatally the predator was shot to death.
According to Collier Country Sheriff's Office, a man in his 20s entered an unauthorized area near the tiger's enclosure. Preliminary information indicates that the man appeared to be sticking his hand through the fencing to either pet or feed the animal when the tiger grabbed his arm and pulled him into the enclosure.
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Happy #TongueOutTuesday from Malayan tiger Eko!#NaplesZoo #Tiger pic.twitter.com/J8ZcZRGUqr
— Naples Zoo (@NaplesZoo) December 28, 2021
Later, investigations revealed the man in 20s as River Rosenquist, a cleaner employed by a third-party cleaning service at the Naples zoo. The cleaning company is responsible for cleaning restrooms and the gift shop, but not animal enclosures. As the tiger grabbed the cleaner's arm, the worker was heard screaming out in pain: "Please help me! Please help me! Oh my God! Shoot it! I'm going to die!"
Sheriff's deputies arrived at the zoo around 6.30 pm and they tried kicking the enclosure in an attempt to get the old Malayan tiger to free the worker. When that didn't work, the deputy shot the tiger believing that it was the only way to save Rosenquist, cleaner's life.
After being shot, Eko, the tiger was seen grunting and retreating back to its enclosure. The deputies flew a drone over the enclosure to determine Eko's injuries and they found him unresponsive. Later, a zoo veterinarian tranquilized the tiger and entered the enclosure to assess his injuries and he found the tiger dead.
During the encounter with the tiger, Rosenquist, the cleaner was seriously injured and immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. His current conditions remain unknown. In a press release, Kevin Rambosk, Collier Country Sheriff said, "Our deputy did everything he could in that situation and he ultimately made the only possible decision he could in order to save this man's life."
The Sheriff's office is working with state and federal prosecutors to investigate the incident and determine whether criminal charges will be filed against the cleaner. It also remains unclear if the third-party cleaning service that the cleaner works for will take disciplinary action.
Eko was the only tiger in the Naples Zoo. He came from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle in early 2020. Malayan tigers are critically endangered species, and there are fewer than 200 in the wild left.