Overview
- The keeper, a longtime employee who began at Beekse Bergen at 17 and worked there for nearly 40 years, was attacked inside the indoor enclosure that houses two male Persian leopards on Saturday and was airlifted to hospital before she died on Tuesday.
- Colleagues heard her call for help over a walkie-talkie, gave first aid at the scene, and emergency services including a trauma helicopter took her to surgery, but her condition worsened and the park announced her death on Tuesday.
- Park officials say staff are normally kept separate from predatory animals and required to work in pairs, and an investigation has been opened to determine why the keeper entered the enclosure and which protocols were followed.
- Investigators face a major gap because the indoor enclosure has no CCTV, and park leaders have said the two leopards will not be euthanised because they were behaving naturally as predators.
- The park has set up support for the family and staff, and the incident is likely to trigger safety and oversight reviews at Beekse Bergen and other wildlife facilities that house big cats.