A 30-year-old man was killed by a tigress after he leapt into her enclosure at the Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park, also known as Birsa zoo, in Ranchi’s Ormanjhi area on Wednesday morning, zoo officials said.

The man climbed a three-feet tall fence and crossed a moat, which is16-feet deep and 32-feet wide, to enter the tigress’s enclosure, zoo authorities said.

He was seen with his hands joined together as if in prayer in front of the nine-year-old tigress, Anuskha, just before he was attacked, zoo authorities said.

The man was identified as Wasim Ansari, alias Bablu, a resident of Khijur Toli near Booty in Ranchi, said Ormanjhi police station in-charge, Shyam Kishore Mahto.

“CCTV footage at the entry point show that Wasim was on his own,” said Mahto.

“He bought a ticket from the counter and entered the zoo. As he entered inside the zoo, he threw away the ticket. We did not find CCTV footage near the tiger enclosure,” he added.