KALININGRAD, RUSSIA —A Russian zookeeper was saved from a horrific demise from a tiger attack, and it's all thanks to some quick thinking by zoo visitors. <br /> <br />BBC reports that the 16-year-old Siberian tiger's cage had been left open open, so when zookeeper Nadezhda Srivastava went into the enclosure to deliver food, the animal pounced. <br /> <br />The terrified zookeeper was pinned helplessly on the ground as the big cat clawed and gnawed at her for at least 10 minutes. <br /> <br />Onlookers began throwing rocks at the animal, but only made it angrier. It wasn't until some visitors hurled a table and chairs into the enclosure that the tiger got distracted, which allowed the zookeeper to flee to safety. <br /> <br />The 44-year-old zookeeper was immediately taken to the hospital, and is currently recovering from her wounds. <br /> <br />The tiger was later taken out with a sedative and brought back to its cage. Zoo staff say the animal has no history of being aggressive towards humans, and will not be put down. <br /> <br />The zoo has also blamed the attack on the zookeeper, claiming that the gruesome incident happened because she violated safety protocol.
