According to officials the man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol

Victim was 'grabbed by the neck and dragged round tiger enclosure'

Man killed by white tiger after jumping into enclosure at New Delhi Zoo

A man has been killed by an endangered tiger after allegedly jumping into its moat at an Indian zoo.

The man, named locally as Maqsood, is said to have been under the influence of alcohol when he climbed into the white tiger enclosure at New Delhi Zoo on Tuesday.

Witnesses say the 22-year-old entered the enclosure despite several attempts by zoo security to keep him from the tigers.

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Attack: A screenshot from Indian television show the white tiger standing over the man after he jumped into its enclosure at the New Delhi Zoo

Fierce foe: According to officials the man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and jumped over the fence despite zoo security's attempts to stop him

Indian police and zoo personnel retrieve the shoes the man, who was 'dragged around the enclosure' by the white tiger Another witness said the tiger kept ‘roaming around’ the enclosure, holding the victim by the neck. Zoo officials said the man had appeared to have been ‘under the influence of alcohol’ and that security had tried to keep him away from the tiger enclosure. ‘Despite repeated warnings that he shouldn't get too close to the outdoor enclosure, the man eventually climbed over a knee-high fence and small hedges, then jumped down 18 feet into a protective moat,‘ National Zoological Park spokesman Riyaz Ahmed Khan said. Authorities eventually frightened the tiger into a small cage inside the enclosure.

The man, whose body remained in the outdoor enclosure two hours after the attack, was dead by the time help reached him, Khan said.

Gruesome: According to witnesses, the man's body was left in the enclosure for several hours before police were able to remove it Tragedy: Zoo workers and security staff carry Maqsood's body past the tiger cage at the zoo in New Delhi The man, whose body remained in the outdoor enclosure two hours after the attack, was dead by the time help reached him

The zoo remained open Tuesday afternoon, though authorities eventually roped off the tiger enclosure.

White tigers are found in southern and eastern Asia, particularly India, and owe their appearance to a recessive gene. They are regarded as an endangered species.

India is home to 1,706 Royal Bengal tigers and fewer than 100 white tigers, according to the last census in 2011. All the white tigers are in captivity.