At Naples Zoo in Florida, an 8-year-old Malayan tiger named Eko was shot dead after-hours on Wednesday following an incident with a third-party cleaner who was not authorized to be near the animal’s enclosure.

CBS News reports the animal grabbed the cleaner's arm and attempted to pull him into an enclosure. After efforts by the local police to get Eko to let go of the cleaner’s arm, the police felt they had no choice but to shoot the tiger. It is suspected that the cleaner was either petting or trying to feed the tiger, both of which are unauthorized activities.

The cleaner, who is reported to be in his 20s, is in serious condition after being airlifted to a hospital.

BBC News reports Eko was sedated and later died due to his injuries.

The tiger is a member of an endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. An estimated 200 remain in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The Naples Zoo received Eko from a zoo in Seattle in December 2019 a part of an effort to keep the species alive.

The Naples Zoo announced on its website that the zoo would be closed on Thursday.

“Naples Zoo will be closed today, December 30th. The decision to close today was made to allow officials to complete their investigation late into the evening. This decision was also made to allow the Zoo to begin its own internal investigation and to allow our staff to process what has occurred and to begin the painful healing process. A grief counselor will be available for staff beginning today. We will reopen at 9 am tomorrow,” the notice read, in part.

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