Leopard attack leaves Beekse Bergen zookeeper critically injured

A zookeeper was critically injured by a leopard attack at the Beekse Bergen safari park on Saturday. She is currently in critical condition and is not expected to survive, according to reports. Two Persian panthers, which had sought shelter from the weather, are believed to have initiated the attack on the woman inside an enclosure.

The zookeeper, who had spent approximately 25 years working at the park and caring for the animals, suffered serious injuries to her head and neck. Her condition deteriorated over the course of Sunday night. Despite managing to call for help using a walkie-talkie, she was rescued by colleagues and underwent immediate surgery. Emergency responders, including a trauma helicopter and numerous emergency workers, were swiftly dispatched to the scene.

The circumstances surrounding her presence in the enclosure with the animals, an action typically prohibited, remain unclear. Wineke Schoo, director of the Dutch Association of Zoos, described the incident as a "worst case scenario," noting that she had only witnessed one such occurrence in her 25 years of experience in Dutch zookeeping, which involved a lion attack in 2001.