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A Siberian tiger in an enclosure (file photo)
A Siberian tiger attacked and killed a zoo keeper in Switzerland in front of zoo visitors and employees.
Staff came to his aid and eventually managed to get the tiger out of the cage, but the 55-year-old keeper died on the spot, the Zurich Zoo said.
Visitors raised the alarm at 13:20 (11:20 GMT) on Saturday.
An investigation is underway to determine why the zoo keeper was in the cage at the same time as the tiger.
Although an emergency team at the zoo lured the tiger from the compound and placed him in a pen, efforts to resuscitate the injured caretaker failed, the zoo said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, all the help came too late,” said a Zurich police spokeswoman, Judith Hoedl.
The tiger, named Irina, was born in a zoo in Denmark in 2015 and was transferred to Zurich last year.
Zurich zoo director Severin Dressen said the zoo keeper had been a staff member there for some time, the AP news agency reported.
“Our total sympathy is with the victim’s family,” Dressen added.
Professional advice has been provided to those who witnessed the attack.
The Zurich Zoo said it would remain closed on Sunday after the incident.
Animal attacks on zoos and sanctuaries are relatively rare, but this is not the first reported attack on the Zurich zoo.
In December 2019, a crocodile at the zoo bit a keeper’s hand during a routine cleaning operation on the animal’s compound. When the reptile was unable to release the archer, the decision was made to shoot him.
