A veteran zookeeper at a Dutch safari park died after she was savagely mauled inside a leopard enclosure.
The female keeper, who had worked at Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek for nearly 40 years, was caring for two Persian leopards at an indoor enclosure due to the bad weather, the zoo said in a statement.
“The keeper started at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park at the age of 17 and worked here, with only a few short interruptions, for nearly 40 years,” the park said in a statement.
“Her passing also deeply affects us all, and we are intensely grieving with her family, friends, and loved ones. We ask for peace and privacy for her loved ones and our staff, so that they can process this profound loss.”
The keeper had serious injuries to her head and neck and frantically called for help during the attack on her walkie-talkie, according to Dutch News.
How the keeper came into direct contact with the dangerous predators remains unclear because the indoor facility lacks surveillance cameras.
A park spokesperson, Omroep Brabant, insisted the leopards were behaving normally.
“They are, and remain, predators,” Brabant said.
An investigation is underway to determine how the tragedy unfolded.
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