Tiger Mauls Worker at Troubled Oklahoma Zoo

A female zoo worker is recovering in an Oklahoma hospital after being mauled by a caged tiger at a troubled zoo. The worker apparently "violated safety protocol" at The Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park, about 40 miles south of Oklahoma City.

A 500-pound male tiger got hold of the woman's left hand as she reached inside the tiger's cage to feed it. The big cat pulled the woman's entire arm through a 4-inch hole in the fence.

The woman, whose name has not yet been released, was airlifted to an area hospital, where doctors preformed emergency surgery and were able to save her arm.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the zoo's owner, Joe Schreibvogel, said that the incident happened on the morning of Oct. 5. CNN reported that Schreibvogel said the woman claimed the incident was her fault.

"A female worker violated safety protocol and placed her hand inside a adult male tiger cage. She was wearing a large goose down jacket which got bunched up inside the cage wire not allowing her to get her hand back outside the cage wire fast enough and the tiger grabbed her hand pulling her left arm through a 4 inch square hole," the statement read.

The worker was taken to Oklahoma University Medical Center, where she remains in stable condition and, following surgery to reattach her arm "was up and took a walk today," the zoo said Monday on Facebook. She "still has a long road of repairs to go on her arm, but she is in good spirits..."

The woman's name and age are being withheld at her request because she wanted to contact her family about the incident on her own. It remains unclear whether that contact has been made, though officials from the zoo plan to announce it later Monday.

The Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park has seen trouble before. CNN reported that earlier this year the zoo, which describes itself as a "non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of endangered animals" declared bankruptcy last year, as well as posted a water bill online and asked for public donations to pay it.

In 2006 the park's license was suspended and it was fined $25,000 for "several violations," CNN reported, adding that the park is currently under investigation for the deaths of 23 tiger cubs.

An undercover investigation by the Humane Society revealed footage of what the organization claims is a 20-month-old tiger attacking a child at the zoo, CNN reported. Earlier this year, the animal rights group PETA called for the zoo's license not to be renewed.

Schreibvogel, a tattooed man with long, bleach blonde hair, appears to be the president of an organization called the United States Zoological Association (USZA). In a combative rebuttal posted on the USZA website, Schreibvogel suggested there is a conspiracy at work to shut down his zoo.

The leading accreditor of North American zoos is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Schreibvogel said that the cat that bit the worker is under quarantine, but that it would not be put down.