Irish man captures moment tiger tries to attack his son at Dublin Zoo

A glass wall was the only thing between the youngster and the hungry tiger.
A glass wall was the only thing between the youngster and the hungry tiger. Photo credit: Twitter / r0bC

An Irish father has captured the terrifying moment a tiger lunges itself at his son - with only a wall of glass protecting him from the attack. 

The young boy's father, named only as Rob, uploaded the spine-tingling video to Twitter, with the caption, "My son was on the menu in Dublin Zoo today." 

The video shows Rob's son Sean, who is reportedly seven-years-old, grinning at the camera, with no idea what is going on behind him.

A tiger can be seen staring at the youngster, then slowly walks towards him, as if stalking prey. It then starts running before launching itself at the Irish boy, who feels the glass vibrate behind him and sprints away, while his father chuckles in the background. 

Rob told The New York Post his seven-year-old son was "pretty calm", whereas his other unpictured son "ran like the clappers.'' 

The viral clip has racked up 1.5 million views in 24 hours and has gained a mixed reaction online. While most viewers think Sean experienced a "class memory" others "felt sorry" for the tiger. 

"I can't help [but] feel sorry for the tiger, the urge to just do what nature intended and he doesn't get the chance," one Twitter user wrote. 

"This is the reason I've never gone to Dublin Zoo. Animals being caged up is wrong and us humans looking at them for our amusement...makes my skin crawl," another person commented.

Rob addressed the range of comments on his Twitter page. 

"Some strange comments but most positive and taking in the spirit that it was intended. I'm sure Dublin Zoo would welcome any donations for all the hard work they put into conservation," he wrote.