Officials at the park say the incident was down to 'excess frolic'
A white cub has been mauled to death by three Bengal tigers in a wildlife park – as horrified tourists looked on.
The bloody incident has been explained as “excessive frolic” – denying speculation it occurred because the animals were not being adequately fed.
A statement from the Shendiao Mountain Wildlife Park in Rongcheng county, in Weihai, East China's Shandong province, said: “The most likely reason is excessive frolic”, adding the three tigers did not eat the cub after the attack.
A park manager added the tigers had been raised together with the only difference in their upbringing being that the white cub had been fed on dogs' milk while the Bengal tigers had been suckled by their mother.
He said: "The nature of the white tiger is much tamer than the Bengal tiger. After feeding on dog milk, the white tiger can lack savagery compared to Bengal tigers."
The eyewitness who took the pictures told China Daily: “There were five tigers at the spot when we arrived there and they all looked quite young. It seemed like the tiger cub had just been mauled to death. Many tourists were screaming.
“Some tourists informed the park’s staff and it took about 10 minutes for the staff to get to the spot and drive the away the tigers.”
A park manager known as Liang said a team sent by the provincial forestry department would investigate the incident.
