A female zookeeper has died after being attacked
by a Sumatran tiger at a New Zealand zoo.
The zoo’s only male tiger, Oz, was the animal
involved but authorities have so far not identified
the victim.
Police were called to Hamilton Zoo at 11am local
time on Sunday.
Senior Sergeant Mike Underwood confirmed the
woman was already dead by the time they arrived.
The attraction was open at the time and visitor
Adam Rich said staff quickly ushered people out of
the zoo.
"They seemed a bit panicky,” he told The New
Zealand Herald.
"I thought an animal had escaped but they
guaranteed that an animal did not escape."
The zoo – some 78 miles (125km) south of
Auckland – has five tigers. An investigation is
under way into what happened.
Council spokesman Jeff Neems had no comment
on whether the animal would be destroyed.
"Our focus at this time is on providing the adequate
support for our staff and family members who have
been affected by this tragic incident," said a council
statement.
Messages of support for the woman's family are
being left on the zoo's Facebook page, with many
urging it not to put the animal down.
The most-liked comment reads: "Condolences to
the keeper's family, colleagues and friends.
"Working with wild animals comes with known
risks, please don't kill the tiger for being a tiger."
"Condolences to the zoo family. But please don't
euthanase the tiger," says another comment.
The incident follows the death last week of another
zookeeper in a Sumatran tiger attack in Poland.
The man died "virtually on the spot" on Wednesday
morning – apparently while he was cleaning the
tiger’s enclosure.
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