THE horrific moment a zoo worker screamed “I’m going to die” as he was attacked by a tiger before the animal was shot dead by cops was caught on body cam.
River Rosenquist, 26, was reportedly grabbed by Eko the Tiger as he was either petting or feeding the animal in an unauthorized area in Naples Zoo in Florida on Wednesday evening.
His arm was pulled through the wire fence by the tiger who refused to let go as Rosenquist screamed for help.
First responders attempted to get Eko to let go of the man’s arm by kicking the fence.
The beast was shot, however, after he refused to let go as cops tried to save the man’s life.
The eight-year-old Malayan tiger retreated to the back of his enclosure after he was shot and later died.
The horrifying video follows cops as they rush to help the 26-year-old as he screams in pain and pleads for health.
It shows his arm trapped through the fence as Eco refused to let go before a cop made the decision to shoot him at close range.
Officers then rush to secure Rosenquist who immediately sounds relieved.
Rosenquist was airlifted to hospital but is now reported to be in a “fair condition.”
Naples Zoo said that Rosenquist works for a third-party cleaning service and is tasked with cleaning the restrooms and the gift shop, not the animal enclosures.
It said he was engaging in unauthorized and dangerous activities before the attack after he climbed through the first barrier to the enclosure after the zoo closed.
In a statement, Naples Zoo said it plans to create a fund for endangered animals in Eko’s name.
“This evening after the Naples Zoo had closed for the day a member of a third-party cleaning service contracted by the zoo suffered serious injuries when he entered an unauthorized area near a tiger that was inside its enclosure,” the statement said.
“Preliminary information indicates that the man was either petting or feeding the animal, both of which are unauthorized and dangerous activities.
“Initial reports indicate that the tiger grabbed the man’s arm and pulled it into the enclosure after the man traversed an initial fence barrier and put his arm through the fencing of the tiger enclosure.
“Deputies were called to the zoo at 6:26 p.m,” the statement added.
“The first deputy on scene kicked the enclosure and tried to get the tiger to release the man’s arm from its mouth but the deputy was forced to shoot the animal.
“The man, who is in his 20s, was seriously injured and was transported to an area hospital by Collier County EMS as a trauma alert.”
After the attack, the zoo flew a drone into the enclosure to check on the tiger.
The animal was sedated by a veterinarian, who examined it “when it [was] safe to do so,” said the sheriff’s office.
Eko came to the Naples Zoo from Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle in December 2019 and was introduced in February 2020.
“Eko is a great ambassador for his species. When guests see him, we hope they fall in love and want to learn how they can do their part to save his cousins in the wild,” according to the zoo’s website.
