Claw's encounter: Here's another fine mesh you've got me into

But Arnd Drossel appears to have at least baffled the beasts, if not tamed them, with his spherical steel enclosure.

The German performance artist turned the conventions of the zoo on their head by putting himself inside a cage and allowing the big cats to view him as a curiosity.

His stunt was one stop on a 220-mile roll through the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia to raise money for, and awareness about, psychiatric patients.

He accepts that some observers will judge him 'a stripe short of a tiger' for including this particular area of the Stukenbrock Safari Park on his route.

But he insists his protective capsule - 250 high-grade steel strands welded into something resembling a massive ball of wool - is strong enough to keep him safe. Drossel, 38, who designs furniture for a living when not suffering for his art, will eat, sleep and move in the ball.

He propels it by simply shifting his weight in a walking motion, and aims to cover 13 miles a day.

'I got the idea for this because, about a year ago, I hit a low and

realised how little help there was out there,' he said.

'I set about thinking of a way to publicise those who need pyschiatric help and came up with this.

'Basically, the whole concept is about finding the courage to do something and inspire courage in those who have lost their confidence along with much else.'

Psychiatric patients from clinics in the region helped him create the rolling globe and some were present to see Drossel roll into the tiger enclosure.

After his encounter with the cats he was trundling on through the state, aiming eventually to finish in his home town of Warburg on April 28.

Karl-Josef Laumann, the health minister for the state, is backing the stunt.

He said: 'Psychiatric patients are often stigmatised and ostracised in our society. This must change.'