One of the park’s Siberian tigers killed a 55-year-old keeper at the Zurich Zoo, Swiss city officials said. Horrified visitors raised the alarm after seeing the tiger attack the maid inside the big cat enclosure shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday, prompting staff members to rush to their aid.
They were able to lure the Siberian tiger, named Irina, away from their colleague and out of the compound while first responders attempted to revive the wounded archer.
“Unfortunately, all the help came too late. The woman died on the spot,” said Zurich police spokeswoman Judith Hoedl.
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Hoedl said an investigation into the incident was launched, including why the guard was on the premises at the same time as the tiger.
The Siberian tiger, named Irina, was born in 2015 at a zoo in the Danish city of Odense and moved to Zurich a year ago, according to the director of the Zurich Zoo, Severin Dressen. The tiger behaved normally, he said.
“Our sympathy is with the victim’s relatives,” Dressen said, adding that the caretaker had been a long-term member of the zoo staff.
In a statement released Sunday, the zoo called the incident “highly tragic,” but said “there would be no consequences” for the tiger.
“We would like to point out that the Amurtigine is a wild animal. A person on their premises is an intruder on their territory to them. She followed her natural instincts in her reaction,” said the zoo.
Visitors and colleagues who witnessed the attack were receiving psychological counseling, he said.
The zoo, which recently reopened after a coronavirus-related shutdown, will remain closed on Sunday.
BBC News reports this is not the first attack at the zoo. Last December, a crocodile at the zoo had to be shot after it bit off an archer’s hand and did not release its grip.
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