A tiger housed at an Indian animal rescue shelter attacked a caretaker who had been cleaning its cage CNN reported.
The woman, Marissa Dub, is in critical condition after the attack Friday at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Indiana.
While the facility confirmed the incident, they wouldn’t provide specific details saying they didn’t want to include the media.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office provided more details on the attack during a statement to the public.
“The victim was cleaning cages when a worker nearby heard her screaming,” Sheriff Rob Gambill said in a statement.
“When the employee ran over to help, she discovered the tiger had her head in its mouth.”
CNN ’s report continued on to say:
“Joe Taft, the director of the facility, sprayed the 18-year-old tiger named Raja in the face with a hose to loosen its grip before it was eventually lured away with food.
“The victim, who is in her early twenties, was air-lifted to an Indianapolis hospital.”
This isn’t the only animal attack this week. Reports of the Dieter Zorn , the snake expert being bitten and kill and of the multiple bear attacks have been circling around.
Dub, 21, was working at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, about 60 miles outside of Indianapolis according to the Examiner .
This is the biggest wild life refuge of its kind in the U.S., caring for felines that have been abused, neglected or just not wanted anymore.
The tiger had reportedly escaped from its holding area because a door had not been properly shut, and then made its move on Dub.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates the care of exotic animals, will make a decision on the tiger’s fate. This is the first injury from one of the wild animals at this center since opening in 1991 according to the Examiner .
[Image via Huffington Post ]
