A zookeeper has lost the tip of his finger while feeding a Siberian tiger its dinner.

The incident happened at the Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford, and the zookeeper was taken to hospital and signed off for a month, according to the Telegraph.

Despite the injury, he admitted being “complacent” when he fed the cat some meat.

Health and safety records released under freedom of information laws record how the zookeeper had cut the tiger’s food too small, causing it to rip off the tip of the middle fingers on his right hand.

The incident marks one of the 72 serious accidents at zoo and safari parks reported to the Health and Safety Executive last year.

Part of the report said: "The IP [injured party] acknowledged that they had received the training for correct hand positions while offering meat to one of the cats, and was being complacent.

"Tongs are also available to staff if they don't feel comfortable feeding animals by hand.

“The IP also prepped the meat chunks themselves and admitted that they may have been on the small side."

The Big Cat Sanctuary continues to offer handfeeding animal opportunities as part of a “big cat encounter” which is £199 during the week and £249 on the weekend.

A spokesperson for the wildlife park reiterated that the accident was “the result of human error”.

It added: "To prevent a recurrence of a similar incident, refresher training has been provided to all relevant staff.

“The employee acknowledged full responsibility for the incident, and a comprehensive investigation was carried out.

"We are confident that this situation has been addressed appropriately."