Overview
- The park says a female zookeeper was attacked in an indoor enclosure while caring for two male Persian leopards on Saturday and later died of severe head and neck injuries despite emergency surgery.
- Colleagues used a radio to call for help and staff were able to drive the animals back and remove the woman from the enclosure before she was flown to hospital.
- A Safaripark spokesman told a local broadcaster that the two leopards had not shown unusual behaviour and emphasized that they remain predators.
- Park officials and outside examiners have launched an independent investigation, but investigators currently lack surveillance footage because the indoor enclosure has no cameras.
- The woman had worked at Beekse Bergen for almost 40 years and her death has prompted deep mourning among staff and fresh questions about safety rules and enclosure procedures that the inquiry may prompt the park to change.