Man jumps into tiger pit at New York's Bronx Zoo, gets mauled

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - A tiger critically injured a man who jumped into the big cat's den at New York City's Bronx Zoo on Friday, retreating only after emergency workers scared it off with a fire extinguisher.

The man, 25, was riding the zoo's monorail in the afternoon and leapt from a car, clearing a fence around the tiger enclosure, according to a statement from the zoo.

He has been taken to a local hospital and is in critical condition, the New York City fire department said.

"It looks like he had some very severe wounds on his back or his torso," said Mr Frank Dwyer, a fire department spokesman. He said he did not know whether the wounds were caused by teeth or claws.