Zookeeper dies after leopard attack

A zookeeper at the Beekse Bergen safari park in the southern Netherlands died on Tuesday from injuries sustained during an attack by a leopard. The woman had worked at the facility for nearly four decades.

The incident occurred on Saturday, October 24, while the employee was working alone in an enclosure containing two male Persian leopards. She suffered serious wounds to her head and neck. According to the Associated Press, she contacted colleagues via walkie talkie after the attack. An ambulance and a trauma helicopter were dispatched to the site at approximately 11 a.m. local time that day.

The park released a statement on Tuesday confirming the death. "With enormous sadness, we have to report that the animal caretaker of safari park Beekse Bergen passed away today from the injuries she sustained on Saturday, October 24, in an incident with a leopard in the park," the statement read. The park said it was grieving with the family and asked for privacy for the staff and loved ones.

CNN affiliate NOS reported that the woman had been working with the leopards for eight years. She had joined the park at age 17 and remained with the organization with short breaks until her death. Her condition worsened on Sunday evening after she underwent emergency surgery.

The park told NOS that there are no cameras inside the enclosure where the attack took place. The facility reported that the two leopards have been treated as normal since the incident. Beekse Bergen is home to more than 100 species and allows visitors to view animals on foot, by car, bus, or boat.

An independent investigation has been launched into the death. Fatal attacks by animals on zoo staff have occurred in other countries recently. In 2023, a zookeeper in Austria was killed by a rhino at Salzburg Hellbrunn Zoo, while another employee was injured. In 2021, a woman working in Chile was killed by a tiger in a big cat enclosure.