SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- A gardener in a zoo in southern China was mauled to death by tigers after accidentally falling into their enclosure, authorities said.
The incident happened during normal visiting hours Thursday at the Shenzhen Safari Park, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported.
Sheng Jinhua, 54, who had been working full time at the zoo since July, reportedly climbed over a 6-foot glass barrier before falling amongst five Siberian tigers in the enclosure below.
Sheng was apparently trying to remove weeds from a section of the enclosure inside the barrier, witnesses said.
"I saw him holding onto the top of the glass barrier with one hand, and trying to grasp something with the other," an unnamed tiger keeper at the zoo said.
He said he saw "four or five" tigers rushing towards Sheng and quickly ran to the pen to try to save him.
Before he could reach the spot, he said, Sheng lost his grip and fell into the tiger pack.
"He sustained a lethal injury to his neck," the tiger keeper said.
