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| An Italian policeman inspect the scene close to the dismembered body of Mauro Lagiard |
Mauro Lagiard, a 72-years-old elderly zookeeper was ripped to pieces and
eaten by his own tigers when he went to feed them. He was attacked from
behind when he entered the enclosure at a closed down zoo near Turin in
northern Italy.
In a horrific scene he was dragged 100ft while his wife watched
helplessly, the remain of his dismembered body was later found after the
Tigers were satisfied.
Mr Lagiard and his wife had cared for the Tigers since the small animal
sanctuary was closed down in 2010 at the peak of the economic crisis.
The couple lived on site near the tigers’ enclosure in a camper van. The
retired zoo keeper was ‘utterly fearless’ and devoted to the animals
according to reports in the Italian media. On Tuesday night, he went in
to the cage to feed them chicken meatballs but the alpha-male Tiger,
named Samir, who was in for a kill quickly followed by two others in the
pack attacked him from behind while five recently born cubs watched
hungrily from the sidelines.
