Door left unlocked blamed for Siberian tiger’s death at Seoul Grand Park

SEOUL – A 13-year-old Siberian tiger named Miho died at Seoul Grand Park after a fight with another tiger, allegedly after a separating door between the enclosures was not properly locked, local media reported on Feb 27.

According to News1, citing Seoul city council member Lee Young-sil of the Democratic Party of Korea, Miho died after fighting with seven-year-old Kumgang in a zoo enclosure at around 4.15pm on Feb 18.

An internal investigation by the park found that the two female tigers began fighting shortly after Kumgang entered the enclosure where Miho was staying. Kumgang had been transferred to the same complex in January.

Zoo staff attempted to stop the fight by spraying water at them with a high-pressure hose and using bamboo to separate the animals. However, Kumgang continued attacking Miho, biting the back of his neck for about four minutes.

By the time a veterinary medical team arrived and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Miho was alredy dead.

Footage from inside the enclosure showed Kumgang quickly approaching Miho immediately after entering and the fight beginning almost at once.

On Feb 18, zookeepers were reportedly instructed to work in teams of two when handling tigers. However, investigators found that the staff had divided the areas and worked alone. Both staff allegedly told investigators they have often worked alone to speed up tiger transfers when facing time constraints. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK