Police in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province said the case of a man who was eaten by a tiger at a local zoo was just "an accident," and said the victim, who once had mental problems, may have climbed into the animal's enclosure.

The death of Zhang Yachun, a 37-year-old native of Pingshan Town of Achen District in Heilongjiang's Harbin City, was preliminarily described as an accident, said Ren Xing, the head of the police station at Harbin North Forest Zoo.

The police and the zoo both confirmed last week that the blood sample they attained from Zhang's family was consistent with DNA on two leg bones and skull found at the zoo, according to previous reports.

Zhang worked in a factory and left his home on the morning of March 24 and was never seen again.

His parents said they thought he was going to work.

Zhang, who was said to be introverted, suffered from schizophrenia.

He became a fan of tigers after a trip to the North Forest in 2006, Zhang's family said.

The zoo's Website said it has a forested area of 40,000 square meters for its wild animals that include lions, leopards and tigers.

The forest is only encircled by wire nettings and it's easy to climb into the area, the report said.

It added that "No Climbing" signs were hung on the netting.

Investigators found evidence that someone climbed the enclosure's netting and said Zhang may have entered the animals' habitat.

An authority at the zoo said it should bear no responsibility over Zhang's death as he was a mental patient, the report said.

The zoo offered to pay compensation of 30,000 yuan (US$4,280), but Zhang's family refused the money.

(Shanghai Daily April 7, 2008)