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A critically endangered tiger that attacked a man at Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, located in Naples, Fla., is dead after police shot the animal on Wednesday evening.
Eko, a Malayan tiger, was 8 years old.
The man, who was left seriously injured from the attack, is in his 20s and is employed by a third-party service responsible for cleaning the gift shop and restrooms, according to the Collier County Sheriff's Office. He was not authorized to be near the tiger enclosure.
Police said that the man had been attempting to either pet or feed the animal when he put his arm through a second fence barrier. The tiger then grabbed the man's arm and pulled it into the enclosure, the sheriff's office said.
When the first deputy arrived on the scene, attempts to get the tiger to release the man's arm from its mouth failed, said authorities, and "the deputy was forced to shoot the animal."