Half-eaten body found in tiger’s cage after zoo visitor jumps in & horrified staff see SHOE in beast’s mouth hours later

HORRIFIED zoo staff discovered a half-eaten body inside a tiger's cage after a visitor apparently jumped in.

The shocking discovery was made in Bahawalpur's Sherbagh Zoo in Pakistan after staff spotted one of the three tigers with a shoe in its mouth.

The condition of the body suggests that the man was mauled to death by tigers late Tuesday night.

"The autopsy report has not been released, however evidence gathered from the enclosure points towards him being alive when he was attacked by the tigers," Usman Bukhari, a senior officer of the wildlife department, told AFP.

The zoo in the eastern province of Punjab has been shut down following the tragic incident and the investigation is ongoing to determine how the man got in the beast's den.

"The tigers did not go out of the den to attack the man, he jumped into their enclosure," Bukhari said.

"If we find a security lapse, we will address it. If need be, we will hire private security guards."

The victim has not been identified and no family member has come forward to claim the body.

Senior local government official Zaheer Anwar said all staff had been accounted for.

"You can see the den is secured. There are stairs behind the den, maybe he jumped from there."

The three tigers present in the den when the body was found have been moved to a smaller space while evidence is collected.

The zoo was built in 1942 by the ruling royal family of the former princely state of Bahawalpur and costs adults 14 pence to enter.

Pakistan's zoos are generally in a poor condition and frequently accused of disregarding animal welfare.

Another man fell victim to pack of tigers when he climbed into their zoo enclosure in China.

The tourist was mauled to death in front of his horrified wife and child after he trespassed to avoid paying the entry fee.