The tiger found its way out of an enclosure at Cologne Zoo in western Germany before, entering an adjacent storage building and attacking a 43-year-old keeper.
The animal was then shot dead by the zoo's director immediately after the attack on Saturday morning.
Police spokesman Stefan Kirchner said the zoo’s director used a rifle to shoot the animal dead through the storage building’s skylight before it could make its way to the visitor areas.
Mr Kirchner said it was unlikely that members of the public had witnessed the incident, which occurred at around noon today.
The police spokesperson said the tiger had likely escaped as a nearby gate had not been shut properly.
Zoo director Theo Pagel then went on to describe the incident as 'the darkest day of my life'.
The newspaper reported on its website that the tiger was a male called 'Altai.' It said a planned late-night opening of the zoo has been canceled.
The zoo was founded over 150 years ago and houses some 10,000 animals from 700 species.
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