By Sohaib Shams
A Dutch zookeeper who spent nearly 40 years at Beekse Bergen Safari Park in Hilvarenbeek has died after being mauled by a leopard on Saturday. The woman, whose name is withheld under Dutch privacy law, suffered serious head and neck injuries while working in an enclosure with two male Persian leopards. She alerted colleagues via walkie-talkie around 11 a.m. local time, prompting an ambulance and trauma helicopter response. Emergency surgery was performed, but her condition worsened on Sunday and she died on Tuesday.
Investigation Underway
Authorities are investigating why the zookeeper was in the enclosure, as staff are typically not permitted in the same space as predatory animals. The park said her passing deeply affects everyone and expressed intense sympathy for her family, friends, and loved ones in a joint statement with the family.
Similar Incident in England
The death comes just over two weeks after a man was mauled to death by a tiger at a wildlife park in Yorkshire, England, after entering an enclosure. An inquest heard the man had a history of mental illness and was under adult mental health services.
