A yet unidentified Toledo zoo keeper was taken to the hospital yesterday after a tiger reached across the double mesh barrier and scratched his chest, a zoo spokesman said.

The zoo keeper was doing his everyday job, cleaning and feeding the tigers around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, when the tiger’s paw apparently made it through the barricade at an odd angle and came in contact with his chest.

The incident happened before the zoo opened to the public, at the Tiger Terrace where the zoo’s two female tigers, Marta and Kat, live. The tigers, which are both five years old, stayed inside their enclosure the entire time. The zoo’s director, Dr. Anne Baker, said there was no risk to the public.

“There was never any danger to the public and the tigers are still secure in the exhibit. At no time was the tiger outside the exhibit, nor was there any danger that the tiger could escape,” Baker said in a press release.

The injured keeper was taken to the hospital immediately after the incident happened, with three minor lacerations to his chest. He was treated and quickly released from the hospital.

The zoo’s management is investigating the cause of the incident, although the director thinks there is nothing to worry about.

"I do want to stress that this was not keeper error. It was simply an unfortunate accident. I think the cat was just jumping up on the mesh to see if maybe there was any food coming. My guess is that...the cat was as surprised as the keeper," Baker said, as quoted by News 11, a local source.