Tiger Mauls, Kills Zoo Worker

A 450-pound Siberian tiger named Miguel crashed through a window to attack and kill an employee at the Houston Zoo this morning, zoo officials said. Ricardo Tovar, 59, was killed after the tiger crashed through a 2 1/2-foot-wide window that was part of his cage.

“It cut him up and ate him up pretty good,” said Houston Fire Department paramedic Howard Shaw. Shaw said Tovar, a 10-year-employee of the zoo, was found by a co-worker about five minutes after the 7:45 a.m. attack. The tiger was outside in a natural habitat display while Tovar was in an interior hallway when the attack occurred. Zoo officials said the Siberian tiger will probably not be destroyed because it is an endangered species.