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." They said the victim, who had a history of mental problems, might have climbed into the animal's enclosure.

The death of Zhang Yachun, a 37-year-old native of Pingshan Town in Achen District, 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 obtained from Zhang's family was consistent with DNA on the remains found at the zoo, according to previous reports.

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

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

The zoo's Web site said the forest has a forested area of 40,000 square meters for wild animals that include lions, leopards and tigers.

The forest was fenced only by wire netting and it was easy to climb into the area, the report said. It added that "No Climbing" signs were fixed to the netting.

Investigators found evidence that someone had climbed the enclosure fence.

An authority at the zoo said it should not be held responsible for 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 declined the offer.

(SD-Agencies)