The Associated Press
Saturday, August 12, 2000; 8:40 a.m. EDT

BOISE, Idaho –– A woman was mauled by a tiger at a fund-raiser for Zoo Boise after the cat slipped through a cage door. Janet C. Gold, 30, suffered a broken leg and some puncture wounds and was taken to a hospital where she was listed in stable condition early Saturday, police said.

Patrons attending Friday's "Feast for the Beast" dinner were taken to a building which houses the cages for two Amur tigers. "Somehow, one of the tigers bumped open a gate on the cage and attacked the woman," said Boise Police Lt. Jim Tibbs. "Everyone else ran out."

Police Sgt. Rich Schnebly said another officer drew his gun while the woman was being attacked.

"The officer fired two shots over the tiger's head. He couldn't shoot at the tiger because he was afraid he would hit the woman," Schnebly said.

The tiger eventually backed into the cage and the men locked the gate.

Zoo Boise has two male Amur tigers, the largest cats in the world. Males can weigh between 700 and 800 pounds when fully grown.

© Copyright 2000 The Associated Press

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