Dutch zoo worker dies after leopard attack

An employee of the zoo, a long time working in a safari park in the Netherlands, died on Tuesday, October 27, from injuries sustained as a result of the attack on her leopard in the enclosure, writes sb.by.

Bixe Bergen Safari Park said in a statement that the woman, whose name has not been released under Dutch privacy law, died after suffering serious head and neck injuries on Saturday while working in an enclosure with two male Persian leopards. Zoo officials offered condolences to the employee's family. She started working at the zoo when she was 17 and has spent almost her entire 40-year career there.

“An investigation is under way to establish why the woman was in an enclosure with leopards. Zoo employees, as a rule, are forbidden to be in the same room with predatory animals, the article says.

According to the zoo, the woman was able to warn colleagues on the radio that she was injured. Around 11 a.m. local time on Saturday, an ambulance and a helicopter were sent to the park.

The woman underwent emergency surgery, but on Sunday night her condition worsened. The zoo said there was little chance she would survive. They also said that a zone will be organized on the territory of the park where condolences can be left, the agency writes.