Captain Elsa Gerber said it appeared the man and a friend had been robbing people at the zoo. He fled into the enclosure to avoid arrest.

The man's body was noticed by a visitor to the zoo at 12:00 on Sunday.

His clothes were in tatters and he was covered in cuts, scratches and bruises. However, his body was intact, indicating that the animals had not tried to feed on him.

Gerber said post-morterm was being conducted to determine the exact cause of his death.

Tigers killed zoo man - source

20/12/2005 22:10 - (SA)

Debbie Sauer , Die Volksblad

Bloemfontein - Indications are that the man who was found dead in the tiger enclosure at Bloemfontein zoo was killed by the animals.

His naked body was spotted by a visitor to the zoo at about 11:00 on Sunday.

According to a reliable source, the man had died after being bitten in the neck.

He is said to have been between 30 and 35 years old.

Police believe the man was a robber.

They said in a statement on Tuesday that while the man had not yet been identified, a stolen cellphone had been found near his body.

The clothes found strewn in the enclosure also matched those of a man who'd robbed a couple.

The couple said the man and a friend had accosted them near the zoo at about 06:00 on Sunday.

The two threatened the couple with knives and robbed them of their cellphones and purses before feeling.

Security guards from a nearby company who'd heard the couple's screams, went to investigate.

They saw the suspects and gave chase.

One of the suspects got away, but the other couldn't run any further and jumped the zoo's fence.

The zoo was still closed and the security guards had to give up the chase.

They called the police and gave them a description of the robber.

Police think the robber had mistaken the fence of the tigers' enclosure - which is almost in the middle of the zoo - for the perimeter of the zoo.

Post-mortem to probe tiger kill 19/12/2005 12:35 - (SA)

Johannesburg - A post-mortem this week will establish the time that an unidentified man died after he was mauled by tigers in their Bloemfontein enclosure, police said on Monday.

"The post-mortem will give us an indication of the time he went in, and when he died," said Captain Elsa Gerber.

A visitor to the Bloemfontein Zoo noticed the man's body around noon on Sunday, said Superintendent Annelie Wrench.

"We are not sure what he was doing there."

She said the man's clothes were in tatters, and he was scratched, but he had not been bitten. "The tigers had been fed earlier, so they were not very hungry," Wrench said.

Gerber said the man's identity and how he had got into the enclosure was "a total mystery".

"We don't know where he came from or what he was doing there," she said.

An inquest docket was opened, she said, and no steps would be taken against the tigers.

Body in tiger cage puzzles zoo 18/12/2005 22:11 - (SA)

Debbie Sauer and Sapa, Die Volksblad

Bloemfontein - Staff at the Bloemfontein Zoo are baffled after a man was found mauled to death in the tiger enclosure on Sunday.

They do not know who he is, except that he is not a worker, or how he got into the enclosure.

Captain Elsa Gerber said an adult visitor to the zoo raised the alarm when he saw a body lying in the enclosure of two tigers at noon.

"We don't know who he is, how he got there, where he's from or anything else," she said.

"He must have climbed over the fence. That's the only way he could have got in there."

It appeared he was walking around the enclosure, consisting of a large roaming area surrounded by a big ditch, said Gerber.

The area was cordoned off to the public and the tigers kept in their sleeping quarters while police removed the man's body, she said.

"He had bite marks and scratch marks and bruises on his body," she said, but added that his body was intact, indicating that the animals had not tried to feed on him.

However, it was difficult to say how he died. That would be determined by a post mortem.

Gerber said the man was naked when he was found. His clothes had been ripped from his body and the shreds were found in the enclosure too.

The man fell about 10m into the tigers' den. Marks indicated that the body was dragged.

Rhulani Shibambu, senior nature conservation officer at the zoo, said no one at the zoo knew the man.

He said the Vuka music festival took place at the Loch Logan island next to the zoo on Saturday, and it was possible that the man got lost and ended up in the enclosed area.

A beer can was found next to the body, but it was not yet clear whether it was dropped by the man.

Shibambu said the tigers will not be put down, because it was not their fault that the man ended up in their area.

He said there was no negligence on the part of the zoo.

He said the tigers were not hungry, but if they were, they would have devoured him. They were fed at about 15:00 on Saturday.

Submitted on 12/22/2005

Submitted by: Tim Godfrey
Reference: www.news24.com

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Neutral: For Darwin's Eyes
This seems to be a collection of several stories with all available info on Mr. Tiger Snack. While I am disappointed that no one could submit the ideal write-up, I will pass this on to Darwin, as there MAY be some additional information...

Greg said:
Neutral: For Darwin's Eyes
Oh, go on then ... just in case. ;-)

Jack said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
I agree in keeping this for Darwin's info. While it isn't yet the most amusing write up, it is the most informative.

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