Tiger Bites Man At Mexico City Zoo

MEXICO CITY -- A Bengal tiger bit a young man who climbed over a fence and entered its enclosure at Mexico City's Chapultepec Zoo, a park spokesman said.

The man made it over the barriers at the tiger exhibit on Wednesday and stood in front of the male tiger, who merely tried to "play" with the intruder, nipping him twice in the arm, the zoo spokesman said.

The man did not try to provoke the tiger, one of a pair at the zoo, and just held his ground.

Zookeepers tranquilized the big cat, pulled the man out of the enclosure and had him taken to a hospital for treatment of his wounds.

Zoo officials speculated that the man may have been trying to commit suicide, but they said they could not confirm this.

The Chapultepec Zoo, located in the forest of the same name in the Mexican capital, is the largest attraction of its type in Latin America.

The zoo, which opened in 1923, has more than 2,000 animals from over 200 species on display and is free for residents, with an estimated 5.5 million to 8 million people visiting each year.

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