A zookeeper was mauled to death by a tiger June 7 while he was cleaning the animal's cage, police said.

A fireman inspects the cage of a tiger June 7 at Kyoto City Zoo. KYODO PHOTO

Atsushi Ito was attacked by the 150-kg male tiger at the Kyoto City Zoo. A female visitor to the zoo found Ito lying bleeding in the cage.

"The tiger bit him on the neck, face and head," said Toshiomi Ootaguro, a Kyoto police official.

"He was cleaning the cage. After the attack, he was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he was already in cardiac arrest," Ootaguro said.

Police suspect Ito had failed to lock a door that connected two cages, allowing the 11-year-old tiger to slip into the area the man was cleaning. The male tiger is one of a pair at the zoo, which was closed after the accident.