Family Says “NO” To Euthanization After Handler ‘Akira Furusho’ Mauled To Death By White Tiger ‘Riku’ In Japan

SOUTH JAPAN. (THECOUNT) — Akira Furusho, Riku the white tiger’s keeper, was mauled to death by the rare animal in southern Japan, according to zoo officials.

Furusho, 40, was attacked by the scarce tiger who eventually had to be tranquilized following the fatal incident. Riku is one of four white tigers on exhibit at Hirakawa Zoo, located at, 5669-1 Hirakawacho, in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

Officials said the animal was not “put down” because Furusho’s family objected.

A rare white tiger has mauled to death its keeper in a zoo in southern Japan, zoo official Takuro Nakazako told CNN. Police are investigating the incident after 40-year-old Akira Furusho was found unconscious and covered in blood in the tiger enclosure at the Hirakawa Zoo, Kagoshima on Monday. source

White tigers are a genetic variant of the more common orange-and-black Bengal tiger but they have black stripes and white fur.

Riku, who was born at the zoo, is about 1.8 meters in length and weighs 374 pounds, AFP said.

While the zoo was open on Tuesday, the white tiger observation zone was restricted “as police continued to investigate the case,” AFP reported.