Man mauled after jumping into tiger's cage

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NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- A tiger in the Bronx Zoo's Wild Asia exhibit is not to blame for an attack Friday on a visitor who jumped into the enclosure, New York police said.

The man, identified as David Villalobos, 25, of Mahopac, N.Y., was riding on a monorail through the exhibit when he jumped out, WNBC-TV, New York, reported. Villalobos survived the mauling by the tiger but was reported to have had a foot amputated.

A police commander said the man appeared to be mentally disturbed, ABC-TV reported.

"The tiger was minding his own business up until the man climbed two sets of fences to climb into the enclosure," Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said.

Zoo officials said keepers used a fire extinguisher to get the tiger to back away from Villalobos and then told him to roll under a barrier. The tiger was then secured in an area away from the public exhibit.