Zoo hand loses pinkie to tiger

Published 10:00 pm Wednesday, November 19, 2008

LURAY, Va. — A 16-year-old employee of a small Virginia zoo is recovering after a tiger bit her when she tried to pet it.

Zoo owner Jennifer Westhoff said the girl lost her pinky and had cuts on her hand. She was showing a 5-year-old Bengal tiger named Star to visitors when it bit her through its cage.

Westhoff says the tiger grabbed the girl’s hand, then got spooked and bit her when a visitor jumped over a fence to help.

The girl was taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center and was expected to be released Wednesday.

The Luray Zoo houses 260 animals, mostly reptiles.