- The 52-year-old, who has not been named, was reportedly bitten on the head
A zoo worker in Romania was killed by a tiger after entering the animal’s cage and failing to follow safety protocols, local media report.
The 52-year-old man, who has not been named, was reportedly bitten on the head by the animal at Pitesti Zoo on Monday morning.
While bringing food to the big cat, the keeper reportedly ignored health and safety regulations that require tigers to be completely separated from the entry area.
According to reports, the zookeeper forgot to close the security door, allowing the animal to launch itself at the man and maul him for several minutes.
Emergency services quickly arrived on the scene and the man was rushed to hospital. Tragically, he could not be saved.
Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the death and a criminal case has been filed for manslaughter and failure to comply with legal health and safety measures, according to local news site Gandul.
The zoo, located 60 miles outside Bucharest, said it was the first time in its 50-year history that such an incident had occurred, and pledged to conduct internal investigations and support the police investigation.
“We will work with all relevant authorities to understand exactly what happened and to ensure that such tragedies do not occur again,” the ministry said in a statement.
The zoo posted a photo of one of its tigers, Ares, the weekend before the fatal incident on Monday morning
The zoo, located 60 miles outside Bucharest, said it was the first time in its 50-year history that such an incident had occurred
“We reiterate our commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards in all activities conducted at the zoo. It is our responsibility to protect the lives of everyone who works there and also to ensure the welfare of the animals.”
The mayor of Pitesti shared his condolences in a statement on Facebook. “It is a tremendous loss and our thoughts go out to the victim’s family and all his loved ones in these moments of pain,” he said.
“I have ordered the temporary suspension of activities at the zoo to conduct a thorough investigation,” the statement continued. “We will take all necessary measures to prevent more such tragedies.”
The zoo’s security protocols are expected to be radically overhauled in the coming weeks to prevent similar attacks, The Sun reports.
It is currently closed to the public as the police investigation continues.
The facility is home to a number of tigers, including a Siberian tiger named Ares, a photo of which was posted on Facebook last Friday.
The photo shared by Pitesti Zoo in September shows a Siberian tiger named Ares
In recent years, a number of incidents involving tigers have occurred in Romanian zoos, including Pitesti.
In 2000, a tiger escaped from Pitesti Zoo because a worker forgot to lock the doors.
Fortunately, the tiger was found within an hour later in a nearby forest and returned to its cage.