A female zookeeper (55) from Zurich Zoo in Switzerland was mauled by a Siberian tiger on Saturday [July 4]. Staff and visitors witnessed the horrific accident and sadly the woman succumbed to her injuries.
Zoo staff rushed to the scene after visitors raised the alarm bell, according to BBC. An emergency team worked quickly to lure the tiger into a holding pen and to get to the zookeeper out but were unfortunately unable to save her.
A spokeswoman for Zurich police, Judith Hoedl, said: ‘Sadly all help came too late.’ She explained that an investigation has been launched into the accident and to find out why the keeper was in the enclosure at the same time as the tiger, according to AFP.
Zoo Zurich director Severin Dressen said that the tiger, named Irina, was born at a zoo in Odense, Denmark in 2015 and transferred to Zurich a year ago.
‘Our full sympathy is with the relatives of the victim,’ said Dressen.
In a statement the Zoo said that Irina will not be euthenised. ‘We would like to note that the Siberian tiger is a wild animal. A person in their facility is an intruder into their territory for them. She followed her natural instincts in her reaction. This is why the incident has no consequences for Irina.’
Image credit: Unsplash
