This is the moment when a terrified trespasser stared death right in the face.<\/p>\n
The crouching man was killed by the tiger at the New Delhi zoo on Tuesday after slipping into the big cat’s pen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tiger grabbed the youth and killed him,\u201d said Amitabh Agnihotri, director of the National Zoological Park in India’s capital.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said the 19-year-old victim, identified only as as Maqsood, looked into the bloodthirsty cat’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity and begged for mercy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man was cowering in fear and appeared to be pleading with folded hands to the tiger to spare him,\u201d a witness said, according to Sky News.<\/p>\n
Despite the pleas, the rare white tiger grabbed Maqsood by the neck and dragged him to a corner of its enclosure, which also houses five other white tigers.<\/p>\n
Another witness said the tiger sunk his fangs into the man’s neck and took about 10 agonizing minutes to finish him off.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe tried to throw sticks and stones at the tiger, but we could not save the youth,\u201d the witness said.<\/p>\n
Other witnesses said zoo officials botched any chance at a rescue by focusing on keeping people from seeing the attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of focusing on saving that person’s life, the security was focusing on shooing away the crowds,\u201d an unnamed woman told local reporters, according to CNN.<\/p>\n
It was not clear if the victim slipped or jumped into the enclosure, but witnesses said he ignored warnings to say away from its low walls, according to Agnihotri.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are all in a complete state of shock,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n