[Ammi]

female zoo worker who was injured in a tiger attack at an animal park in Cumbria has died, police have said.

Sarah McClay, 24, was in the big cat enclosure when she was mauled at South Lakes Wild Animal Park in Dalton-in-Furness on Friday afternoon.

She was taken by air ambulance to Royal Preston Hospital following the attack, where she later died.

Miss McClay was from the Barrow area.

Cumbria police described her death as "tragic".

In a statement, the force said: "Sarah's family are very shocked and distressed and request that they have privacy as they try to come to terms with their loss.

"Police and Barrow Borough Council are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to this terrible incident."

Officers said the tiger was locked in its enclosure following the attack and that members of the public were not at any risk during the incident.

Visitors were asked to leave the wildlife park before it closed early.

The park's website says it keeps both Amur and Sumatran tigers.

The animals can be up to three metres long and weigh around 300kg (47 stone).

[Jords]

47 stone woah

[Shaun]

never realised they were so big... three metres long too

[Nedusa]

Why did she go into the Tiger's enclosure ? This was a clear breach of the rules, why did she do this. Was she young and inexperienced in which case she should have been supervised. Was it a case of over familiarity or did she deliberately go in there ( Suicide by Tiger)

Either way a tragic incident....!!!

I really love the big cats. Along with primates, they are my favourite animals. Really sad story though, but I don't understand how people get themselves into these situations. I'd make sure everything was secure as hell before I went in there.

[Lee.]

What a horrible way to die!

[Suze]

Poor woman, but also silly woman, as what was she thinking going in there like that?

Up to three metres long and around 47 stone though She never stood a chance.

[AnnieK]

Just seen this on the news...she ignored ll protocol and went in...sounds sadly like she knew exactly what would happen.... I'm just glad that the tiger has not been destroyed.. Very sad though..

[Kazanne]

Apparently there where 3 pens surrounding them with three lots of locks some electronic ,some manual,sadly it seems like this girl did this knowingly,I am glad aswell annie that no cats have been destroyed,it only goes on instinct

[Nedusa]

Suicide by Tiger.....????

[Marcus.]

awwwwwwwwwww

[Suze]

I find it hard to believe she would knowingly let herself be ripped apart by Tigers? Surely if she was in that frame of mind at that time that she felt she wanted to end her life, there were quicker and less painful ways of going about it? We are never really going to know what was going through her mind, and whether it was intentional or that she was in a sort of haze that day and not concentrating properly.

Originally Posted by Suze

I find it hard to believe she would knowingly let herself be ripped apart by Tigers? Surely if she was in that frame of mind at that time that she felt she wanted to end her life, there were quicker and less painful ways of going about it? We are never really going to know what was going through her mind, and whether it was intentional or that she was in a sort of haze that day and not concentrating properly.

It would probably take real courage to slice your arteries, throw yourself under a train, or jump from a building. Once you step inside the enclosure, then the hard work is taken out of your hands, and maybe that was all the comfort she needed, rather than thinking of the painful way she would go?

[Marc]

This is why we don't enclose wild animals