Zookeeper in Critical Condition After Leopard Mauling
A long-time employee at a Dutch wildlife park is fighting for her life after being attacked by a leopard inside its enclosure.
A zookeeper is in critical condition after being mauled by a leopard at Safaripark Beekse Bergen in the Netherlands. The woman, who is in her fifties and has worked at the park since she was 17, was attacked Saturday morning after entering the enclosure shared by two male Persian leopards.
Colleagues discovered the zookeeper after hearing her calls for help over walkie-talkies. She was airlifted to a hospital with severe head and neck injuries and underwent immediate surgery. Despite the operation's success, she remains in a coma, and her condition is described as "worrying" by Martin van Hees, head of animal care at the park.
"We know there is a risk when working with dangerous animals, but you never want to experience something like this," van Hees stated. He also confirmed that the leopard involved in the attack would not be euthanized, emphasizing that the animal was acting on instinct within its enclosure.
According to van Hees, the enclosures are designed to separate humans and animals, but "something went differently than it should have" in this instance. The park is providing support to the zookeeper's family and colleagues.
The incident occurs weeks after a fatal tiger attack at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK, where William Chapman, 24, died after entering an enclosure with an Amur tiger. Chapman was pronounced dead at the scene, and an investigation into the circumstances of his death is ongoing.