The animal escaped the Siberian Tiger Park in the Changbai mountains of Jilin province on Saturday and attacked a 22-year-old man who was picking pine nuts near the enclosure, Xinhua news agency reported.

The man was hospitalized with injuries to his leg, back and trachea.

The tiger escaped by climbing a pine tree and jumping over a four-meter-high (13-foot) fence, the report said.

Dozens of police were mobilized to track the animal. They shot and wounded it on Saturday but were unable to cage the beast, which then fled deeper into the woods.

By Sunday morning the police had found and surrounded the animal, but were awaiting orders before taking further steps, Xinhua said.

The Siberian tiger, the biggest cat in the world, is a highly endangered species with only about 200 remaining in the wild.

In November last year a man entered the Siberian Tiger Park without authorization and was attacked and killed by a tiger.

TERRA.WIRE