An endangered Amur tiger has died in a fight with two other tigers at Longleat Safari Park.
Thirteen-year-old female Shouri gained access to an area where two other tigers were waiting to be let into a main enclosure.
A fight between the animals ensued and Shouri was killed. The two other tigers were not injured in the fight.
It comes just days after a tiger at London Zoo was killed by her potential mate as they were being introduced.
Longleat said its park was not open to the public at the time of the incident.
The safari park said in a statement: “The dedicated team of keepers who care for our big cats are, understandably, extremely distraught by the events and we are going everything we can to help and support them.
“A full investigation is ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the terribly sad event.”
Amur tigers are classed as endangered in the wild. There are as little as 500 left in their natural habitats.
According to Longleat, Shouri was not part of a breeding programme.
They added: “Her loss is very hard to take and she will be missed by all the staff here as well as our visitors.”
“Our team are incredibly passionate about the animals they look after, and as well as helping build a healthy population of tigers here, we will continue to help promote and contribute to the conservation of tigers into the future.”
Last week, London Zoo confirmed that its Sumatran tiger Melati had been killed by another tiger.
Tensions apparently "escalated" between her and a potential mate and Melati died in a fight.
The zoo said staff were "heartbroken by this turn of events."
