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A zoo worker in Mexico died after a caged tiger mauled his hand through a fence during feeding time.

Jose de Jesus, 23, died of a heart attack after refusing to allow doctors to amputate his badly mangled hand, The NY Post reported.

The horrific video published by The Mirror UK shows De Jesus reaching through a chain link fence to pet the tiger when it suddenly turned and clamped its jaws down on his hand.

De Jesus screamed in pain as the tiger mauled his hand at the zoo in Periban, western Mexico. The next scene shows a large pool of blood outside the tiger’s enclosure.

The tiger’s owner released the video footage to show the zoo worker was at fault. The owner also kept a lion and a crocodile at the zoo.

The owner said he paid for De Jesus’ medical bills and will pay for his funeral services.

Mexican officials are trying to determine whether the owner had permission to keep the exotic animals at the zoo.