Tiger kills girl after zoo camera flash

A SIX-YEAR-OLD girl was bitten to death by a tiger at a south China zoo after posing for a picture with the animal, state media said yesterday.

The girl, identified only as Ruixin, was standing behind the tiger with her mother and four relatives when it attacked her at a zoo in Yunnan province, the Xinhua News Agency said.

The local Chuncheng Evening News reported the tiger attacked the girl soon after the flash went off on a camera hired by her uncle.

The tiger’s paw shot out and grabbed Ruixin, pulling her head into its mouth, it reported. Five zoo staff beat the tiger with wood sticks and a bench for about a minute until it let go of her.

Ruixin’s mother was also bitten on the hand while struggling to save her daughter, it reported.

The girl was taken to a local hospital but rescue efforts failed, Xinhua said.

It said the animal was one of six tigers that perform at a circus in the zoo.

The photo service, which cost tourists 15 yuan (€1.4), has been suspended, it said.