The 52-year-old zookeeper stepped inside the tiger enclosure but did not close the gate that separated him from the animals – and also entered the cage alone, without his colleague
A zookeeper mauled to death by a tiger at a zoo in Romania is said to have made to two crucial mistakes when feeding the big cat.
The 52-year-old man, who had worked with tigers for years, entered the big cat’s cage to feed them. When the zookeeper initially stepped inside their enclosure at the Pitești Zoo, one of the big cats rushed at him immediately.
He tried his best to repel the attack from the beast, which weighed nearly 200kg, but tragically failed. The fight at the zoo in Pitesti, central Romania, ended quickly, with the zookeeper collapsing.
The keeper’s first mistake is said to be that he did not close the gate which separated the tigers from the safe area where he was, meaning that the animals were able to roam around in the same space as him. This made him an easy target.
As his second error, he was supposed to work alongside a colleague when feeding the tigers. If he was not alone, a team member may have been able to prevent the attack from occurring.
The unnamed victim is thought to have sent his colleague off to do another job, leaving himself alone in the enclosure. Other workers heard the man’s desperate cries, isolated the tigers and locked them up before calling an ambulance – but it was sadly too late.
The man sustained severe wounds to his neck and his left shoulder blade. Workers at the zoo have been left shocked by his death and struggle to explain Monday’s deadly attack.
The tigers were used to being around the employees, and this is the only tragedy of this kind in the history of the zoo. Today, the zoo has been closed to visitors, however it will be reopened tomorrow. The zoo shall also determine the fate of the tiger which killed the caretaker.
A spokesperson for Pitesti City Hall said: “This is the first incident of its kind to occur at the institution in the last 50 years. The employee who lost his life in this tragic manner had over 8 years of experience in the field and had been working at Pitești Zoo since May 21, 2015. The institution’s management and colleagues are deeply affected by this loss. The relevant authorities have been informed and are cooperating in the investigation.”
Earlier this year, a tiger mauled an animal handler at a popular Australian amusement park that said it was an “isolated and rare” attack. The 47-year-old woman was bitten on the arm while she was working at Dreamworld, in Queensland’s Gold Coast, which also features a wildlife conservation park.
She suffered “some serious lacerations and puncture wounds” from the animal, and was feeling “pale” and “unwell, but generally well,” Queensland Ambulance Service director Justin Payne said. She was taken from Dreamworld in Coomera in Queensland state to the Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition.