Zookeeper mauled by tiger in front of horrified visitors
An animal keeper has been mauled by a tiger in view of visitors at the zoo.
The female zookeeper was mauled by a Sumatran tiger named Sanjiv in the outdoor tiger habitat at Kansas’s Topeka Zoo on Saturday about 9.15am (local time).
The zoo’s director Brendan Wiley told reporters the keeper was in a stable condition after she was “essentially tackled” by the big cat and the attack happened in front of visitors.
“It was all right there – kind of on the other side of the glass – if you can picture viewing that at our tiger viewing window,” Mr Wiley said.
He added he was unsure how many people saw the zookeeper being attacked, but had a number of phone numbers of those who witnessed it.
But Mr Wiley had yet to contact them at the time of the press conference on Saturday afternoon.
The zookeeper suffered lacerations and puncture wounds to the back of the head, one of her arms and neck, but the tiger would not be euthanised.
“Sanjiv... did exactly what a tiger would do when something comes into its territory,” Mr Wiley said.
“And there is absolutely no consideration to euthanise Sanjiv.
“While this situation is unfortunate he did what a wild tiger does.”
Mr Wiley added Sumatran tigers were endangered.
City of Topeka tweeted the zookeeper was “awake and alert” when she was transported to hospital.
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