Lion, tiger kill man at Mexican meat plant

MEXICO CITY, June 5 (Reuters) A lion and a tiger kept as exotic pets on the roof of a Mexican meat processing plant killed a man feeding them Mexican media said.

Caretaker Angel Aguilar, 56, was taking pieces of chicken to feed the two big cats yesterday when the lion swiped at him through the bars of its cage and pulled him inside, Reforma daily said. The tiger then joined in the attack.

Paramedics arrived at the plant in the rough Mexico City neighborhood of Iztapalapa while the man was still alive but they could not get past the animals to treat him.

The two big cats, which had separate quarters of a big cage but came together to eat, were according to reports kept by the plant's owner as pets and in good condition.

After the attack, which left scraps of bloodstained clothing on the floor of the cage, the animals were sedated and the tiger's jaws tied around a chunk of wood.

The tiger later died, apparently of suffocation, after being transported by animal protection authorities to a nearby zoo in a small container. The lion survived the journey.

REUTERS JK BST0652