Overview
- The zookeeper was found injured inside a Persian panther enclosure and was flown to hospital after colleagues raised the alarm, with the attack occurring during a morning round on Saturday.
- She underwent surgery the same day, remains in a serious condition and is being kept sedated in hospital while doctors monitor her recovery.
- Beekse Bergen says one of its two male Persian panthers was involved and that the park will not euthanize the animal because it was inside its own enclosure.
- Both the park and the Dutch Labour Inspectorate have opened investigations to find why normal safety measures failed and how the caregiver came to be alone with the predator.
- The injured employee has 25 years at the park and eight years in the predators section, and the incident is likely to prompt reviews of staff protocols and surveillance, since there are no cameras in the enclosure to clarify what happened.