Siberian tiger beheaded in a park at Chongqing

MALE Siberian tiger has been beheaded in a wild animal park at Yichang, Chongqing Municipality, the Three Gorges Evening News reported today.

An insider told the newspaper that a keeper of the Three Gorges Wild Animal World found the headless tiger lying in a pool of blood with its fur torn when he went to feed it about 7:40am yesterday.

Local police, including the criminal investigation squad, are investigating and the park was closed yesterday.

Police dogs were also taken to the park.

Residents are encouraged to provide clues for the case via the hotline 0717-6343119, said Wang Ping, vice office director of Yichang forest bureau.

The wild animal park, opened in 2002, has more than 100 varieties of wild animals in an area of nearly 40 hectares.

Siberian tigers, also known as Amur or Manchurian tigers, are among the world's 10 most endangered species and mostly live in northeast China and the far east area of Russia. Of 400 estimated to live in the wild, only 10 to 17 live in northeast China.