Dutch zookeeper dies after being mauled in leopard enclosure
The woman began her career at the park when she was 17 and had worked there on-and-off for four decades.
A zookeeper in the Netherlands has tragically passed away following a leopard attack at the Beekse Bergen safari park, according to the park's announcement on Tuesday. The woman sustained severe injuries to her head and neck while attending to two Persian leopards housed in an indoor enclosure at the park in southern Netherlands.
The cause of the incident remains unclear as there are no surveillance cameras monitoring the area. The animals were confined indoors due to adverse weather conditions, and staff typically maintain a distance from the leopards. The injured keeper received emergency surgery but succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday, as reported by local media outlets.
The zookeeper had joined the Beekse Bergen Safari Park at the age of 17 and dedicated nearly four decades to her profession, with only brief intervals in between, as per the statement released by the park. An independent investigation will be initiated to clarify the sequence of events leading to the incident, the zoo added. The leopards were reported to be acting naturally, according to a spokesperson from the park, who clarified to Omroep Brabant, a local news channel, that leopards are, and continue to be, predatory creatures.
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