Overview

• During routine behind-the-scenes tour preparation a leopard escaped its enclosure and fatally mauled 36-year-old keeper Uriel Nuri
• Magen David Adom paramedics and Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center staff performed life-saving measures and prolonged resuscitation but were unable to revive him
• Zoo management announced a multi-day closure and said protective glass kept visiting guests out of harm’s way
• Israel Police and zoo officials opened a comprehensive probe into containment failures following early confusion over whether the attacker was a leopard or a Persian tiger
• The attack intensifies scrutiny of zoo safety protocols following a 2024 crocodile mauling at the same institution and a fatal tiger attack in Romania