A tiger, kept in a zoo in southwest China's Yunnan Province, lost control and bit a six-year-old girl who was waiting to take a picture with it yesterday afternoon.

The accident occurred at around 2:30 PM when the girl, named Ruixin, was standing behind the tiger together with her mother and four other relatives waiting to take pictures with the tiger.

When cameras flashed in front of the tiger, it suddenly turned round and bit Ruixin in the head, witnesses said.

The tiger also bit the girl's mother on her left hand when she attempted to rescue her daughter.

Animal trainers repeatedly hit the tiger with sticks and wooden stools and successfully took the girl away about one minute later. The girl was rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment, but the operation failed to save her.

According to zoo administrators, the tiger is from a circus that is giving commercial performance in the zoo. The circus has a total of six tigers.

The zoo charges tourists 15 yuan (about US$2) or 5 yuan for taking a photo with the tiger, depending on whether the tourists use their own cameras or cameras of the zoo.

Performance of the circus has been suspended.

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2007)