Japanese police are investigating the death of a zookeeper killed in an apparent attack by a white tiger.

Local police say 40-year-old Akira Furusho was found bleeding from his neck and collapsed Monday evening inside a tiger cage at Hirakawa Zoological Park in Kagoshima in southern Japan.

Zoo officials say they believe Furusho was attacked while trying to move a male tiger from its exhibition cage to its night-time cage. The tiger is one of four rare white tigers at the zoo.

Furusho was rushed to a hospital but was later pronounced dead. His autopsy results were pending.

The tiger was sedated with a tranquilizer gun.

The white tiger area is closed to the public while police investigate.