Woman encounters tiger in bathroom

A tiger like the one Ms Krehbiel encountered in a bathroom in Salina (EPA)

It's one of the most memorable scenes in Hollywood comedy The Hangover, but for one Kansas woman, it became a reality.

When Salina resident Jenna Krehbiel decided she needed to go to the bathroom in the Bicentennial Center, she found a tiger standing two feet away, The Salina Journal reported.

"You don't expect to go in a bathroom door, have it shut behind you and see a tiger walking towards you," she said.

The tiger had been performing in the Isis Shrine Circus and had escaped briefly, wandering into the bathroom. Staff blocked off all of the entrances to the bathroom except one, which Ms Krehbiel walked into.

Chris Bird, the manager at the Bicentennial Center, explained that the bathroom was only 25 feet long. He said: "Once she saw the tiger, I'm sure she knew to go the other way. Overall, it was a scary, surreal moment. I am glad no one was hurt or injured."

Luckily, Ms Krehbiel was not too fazed by the experience - she said that as a social worker, she didn't scream or run because she is trained to stay calm. Her daughter, however, had different concerns. "My daughter wanted to know if it had washed its hands," Ms Krehbiel said. "That was her only concern."