The reckless tourist is seen just metres away from the terrifying big cats as they perch in their enclosure on October 23 at Beijing Wildlife Park.
The man had been taking part in the self-driving tour around the renowned animal park when he jumped out of his car to get up close and personal with the white tigers in the Chinese capital.
He reportedly ignored staff’s desperate pleas to return to his vehicle and instead approached the beasts in a bid to provoke them.
In the footage, the man is seen crouching in front of the tigers while several men keep a safe distance while begging him to back off.
The tigers grunt and gather in front of the thoughtless tourist as he calmly squats in dangerous proximity to them in the 30-second clip.
Zookeepers were forced to throw food to the animals in an attempt to distract them from the man’s presence, while other driving guests watched in horror, according to local news reports.
Amazed onlookers recorded the shocking incident and shared clips to social media.
Beijing Wildlife Park promptly notified police of the stunt in the exhibition area – and the man was detained by cops.
After reviewing the CCTV footage, the police confirmed the following day that they had arrested a 56-year-old man, named only as Jiang.
The zoo is said to be equipped with in-depth concealed safety methods which prevent tourists from getting too close to animals.
An investigation was opened into the incident involving the white tigers.
The probe into his animal antics remains ongoing.
In 2016, a woman was killed and another injured at the park after the pair jumped out of their car in a similar drive-through enclosure at Beijing Badaling Wildlife World.