Leopard mauls croc keeper to death in China zoo

Beijing, July 19 (IANS) A crocodile keeper in a China zoo was Thursday mauled to death by a leopard, a media report said.

The animal attacked the breeder at the Nanping Jiufeng Mountain Zoo in Nanping city of the southeast province of Fujian, when the man opened the cage in the morning, the Shanghai Daily reported.

The man was bitten in his neck and died on the spot.

The victim, whose name was not disclosed, was the zoo's crocodile keeper and was told to substitute for the leopard keeper who did not report for duty Thursday.

The leopard was shot with an anaesthetic gun in order to calm it down. Operations at the zoo were suspended. No visitors were injured.