A South China tiger's fatal attack on a keeper at the Shanghai Zoo on Tuesday morning exposes shortcomings in the zoo's management, experts said.

Human error always lies behind such tragedies, an expert said, as authorities investigate how the veteran keeper Zhou Jianhua came to be mauled to death by the 9-year-old cat at the zoo's breeding site, a section closed to the public.

"Every zoo in China has its own operational standards on how to keep wild animals," said Tian Xiuhua, a council member of the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens. "No casualties would happen if a zoo's managers and workers strictly followed the rules."

However, the tragedy does not necessarily mean the overall management levels at Chinese zoos are lower than in other parts of the world, she added. Zoos in more developed regions, including Los Angeles and Taiwan, have also reported animal attacks on people.