Tiger attack sends keeper to the hospital, US zoo pledges 'nothing will happen to the tiger'

A file photo of Sanjiv, a Sumatran tiger at the Topeka Zoo in Topeka, Kansas. Photo / AP

A keeper at a zoo in Topeka, Kansas, has been attacked by one of the facility's tigers.

The city confirmed the attack on Saturday and noted that the keeper was alert when she was transported to the hospital.

City spokeswoman Molly Hadfield told The Washington Post that the incident happened at 9:15 Saturday morning while the zookeeper was in the same space as Sanjiv, the zoo's male Sumatran tiger.

The zookeeper is currently in stable condition and the tigers are being kept in holding, she said.

Hadfield added that "nothing will happen to the tiger, he is a wild animal and was acting on instinct".

A representative for the Topeka Zoo declined to comment to The Washington Post, as did local police.

The zoo has two adult Sumatran tigers: Jingga, a female, and Sanjiv, who was brought to the zoo in August 2017. At the time, Shanna Simpson, animal care supervisor, told the Topeka Capital-Journal that "he is the sweetest cat I have ever met".

Last October, Jingga gave birth to four cubs, three males and one female.

The Topeka zoo invites viewers to get to know the family of tigers by watching webcams of their enclosures, but on Saturday morning, none of the big cats could be seen in their outdoor environment. However, another webcam showed them roaming or relaxing in an indoor space.