Dutch zookeeper dies after being attacked by leopard

Rob Engelaar/ANP/AFP/Getty Images

A zookeeper has died from her injuries days after she was attacked by a leopard at the Dutch safari park where she worked.

The unnamed employee, who had worked at the Beekse Bergen safari park for almost four decades, was attacked by the animal on Saturday and died on Tuesday.

“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 park said in a statement Tuesday.

“Her passing also deeply affects us all, and we are intensely grieving with her family, friends and loved ones. We ask for peace and privacy for her loved ones and our staff, so that they can process this profound loss,” the statement added.

The woman suffered serious wounds to her head and neck while working in an enclosure with two male Persian leopards, the Associated Press reported.

The woman contacted colleagues via a walkie talkie after the incident in the leopard’s enclosure and an ambulance and trauma helicopter were dispatched at around 11 a.m. local time Saturday, AP added. She underwent emergency surgery but her condition worsened on Sunday evening.

The employee joined the park, located in the southern Netherlands, when she was 17 years old and had worked there “with short breaks for almost 40 years,” the park’s statement added.

CNN affiliate NOS reported that the zookeeper had been working with the leopards for eight years and had been working alone in the enclosure with two male Persian leopards when she was attacked.

There are no cameras inside the enclosure, the park told NOS, which also reported that the animals have been treated as normal since the incident.

The park said that an independent investigation had been launched into the woman’s death.

Rhino kills zookeeper and seriously injures another in Austria

Home to more than 100 species of animals, Beekse Bergen offers visitors the choice of seeing the safari park by foot, car, bus and boat.

This is not the first time a member of staff at a zoo or safari park has been fatally injured by an animal.

In 2023, a zookeeper was killed in Austria after being attacked by a rhino. The incident, in which another zookeeper was injured, occurred at Salzburg Hellbrunn Zoo. Two years prior to that, a woman working at a safari park in Chile was killed by a tiger while working in the big cats’ enclosure.

CNN’s Rose Roobeek contributed to this report.

罗布·恩格拉尔/ANP/法新社/盖蒂图片社

一名动物园管理员在荷兰一家野生动物园遭到豹子袭击，数日后因伤势过重去世。

这名未透露姓名的员工在比克斯贝尔根野生动物园工作了近四十年，周六遭到动物袭击，周二去世。

“我们怀着无比悲痛的心情宣布，比克斯贝尔根野生动物园的动物管理员今天因10月24日星期六在园内与豹子发生冲突时受伤而去世，”该公园周二在一份声明中表示。

声明还补充道：“她的离世也令我们所有人深感悲痛，我们与她的家人、朋友和爱人一同沉浸在深深的哀悼之中。我们恳请大家尊重她的亲人和我们员工的隐私，让他们能够平静地度过这段艰难的时期。”

据美联社报道，这名女子在与两只雄性波斯豹一起生活在围栏里时，头部和颈部受了重伤。

美联社报道称，这名女子在豹子围栏内发生意外后，通过对讲机联系了同事。当地时间周六上午11点左右，救护车和创伤直升机被派往现场。她接受了紧急手术，但周日晚间病情恶化。

该员工17岁时加入位于荷兰南部的这家公园，并在那里工作了“近40年，期间只有短暂的休息时间”，公园的声明补充道。

CNN附属电视台NOS报道称，这名动物园管理员已经与豹子一起工作了八年，事发时她独自一人在围栏里照看两只雄性波斯豹，随后遭到袭击。

公园方面告诉荷兰广播公司（NOS），围栏内没有安装摄像头，NOS还报道称，自事件发生以来，动物们一直受到正常对待。

公园方面表示，已就该女子死亡事件展开独立调查。

奥地利一头犀牛咬死一名动物园管理员，并重伤另一名管理员。

贝克斯贝根野生动物园拥有 100 多种动物，游客可以选择步行、驾车、乘坐巴士或乘船游览。

这并非动物园或野生动物园工作人员首次被动物致命伤害。

2023年，奥地利萨尔茨堡海尔布伦动物园发生一起犀牛袭击致一名动物园管理员死亡的事件，另有一名管理员受伤。两年前，智利一家野生动物园的一名女员工在大型猫科动物的围栏内工作时，被老虎袭击身亡。

CNN的罗斯·鲁贝克对本报道亦有贡献。