ZURICH (Reuters) – A female Siberian tiger attacked and killed a 55-year-old zoo keeper at the Zurich Zoo on Saturday, authorities said.
Rescue teams were unable to save the woman, who died instantly. A park visitor reported the attack and zoo staff lured the five-year-old tiger named Irina away from the victim and took him to a stand, police and the zoo said.
The circumstances of the attack were still under investigation.
The tiger enclosure in Zurich is also home to a four-year-old man named Sayan, according to the zoo’s website.
Irina, who was still alive after the incident, originally came from a zoo in Odense, Denmark, a year ago and replaced a woman who died of complications after a fight with Sayan.
“This is a young animal that has so far behaved completely naturally like a tiger does,” zoo director Severin Dressen told reporters, adding that it was unclear why the tiger and keeper of the zoo were on the premises at the same time.
Witnesses to the incident and zoo staff were receiving advice.
The Zurich Zoo reopened a month ago after being closed due to the coronavirus crisis.
Report by Michael Shields; Edited by Edmund Blair
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