'He overpowered her in a split second': London Zoo chief reveals horrifying moment 'majestic' female tiger was mauled to death by breeding mate 'in a blink of an eye' minutes after pair were introduced Female tiger Melati was mauled and killed by male Asim on Friday last week Zoo CEO says the animals gave no warning they would attack each other She says keepers were ready with horns and flares in case things turned nasty But the larger male inflicted fatal injuries on the female 'in a split second'By Richard Spillett for MailOnline Published: 16:45 GMT, 11 February 2019 | Updated: 16:56 GMT, 11 February 2019 Viewcomments London Zoo has insisted keepers could not have foreseen or stopped a fatal attack by a male tiger on its potential mate which unfolded 'in a split second'. Ten-year-old female tiger Melati was mauled to death by seven-year-old male Asim when keepers allowed the pair to meet for the first time at the central London zoo on Friday. The zoo's CEO Kathryn England today said the attack led to 'one of the most difficult days of my long career working with animals'. She insisted there was no sign the animals would react how they did and they had been 'calling and "chuffing" [making friendly noises] to each other' before they were allowed in the same enclosure. Ten-year-old female tiger Melati was mauled to death by her potential mate last Friday She was overpowered by male Asim just seconds after they were allowed into the same cage She said keepers were watching their moves very carefully when they were introduced and were ready with fire extinguishers, airhorns, hoses and flares in case things went wrong. She said: 'Initially everything about their meeting was as we expected. They watched each other, they were cautiously interested and they sniffed the air for several minutes. 'A certain amount of posturing from the male is natural; it is normal for him to exert dominance so the female submits.' Zoo CEO Kathryn England insisted the animals gave no warning they would attack each other before the meeting 'They swiped at each other and reared up – all quite a normal part of them testing their boundaries. But in the blink of an eye, with no obvious provocation, they turned on each other and our years of experience told us it was beyond normal. 'The initial skirmish lasted a few seconds and we were already reacting. Asim started to retreat and we were poised to close the gate when Melati lashed back out at him. 'He overpowered her in a split second. Everyone sprang into action; lighting flares, sounding airhorns and setting off fire extinguishers and hoses. 'Unfortunately by the time Asim retreated the second time and we could close the gate, Melati had been fatally injured. It took moments. 'Everyone was numb with shock, and the sheer disbelief was palpable. 'As soon it was safe our vets ran to Melati with every hope they might yet save her, and even these experienced professionals of the zoo world were entirely distraught to find they couldn’t.' Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility