New Zealand zookeeper killed in tiger attack

A veteran New Zealand zookeeper has been attacked and killed by a Sumatran tiger inside the animal’s enclosure.

Although Kudeweh’s death is a tragedy for the wider zoo family and global wildlife conservation community, senior zoo staff have ruled out euthanising Oz, said Lance Vervoort, Hamilton City Council’s community general manager.

The zoo will remain closed as investigations take place. He said he had no comment on whether the animal was likely to be put down.

Flowers are placed at the shut gates at Hamilton Zoo after a female zookeeper was killed by one of the tigers at the zoo in Hamilton, New Zealand Sunday September 20, 2015.

“I feel this accident was caused by over familiarity, and is not the animals fault”, writes petition author Steven McTague, “therefore the tiger should not be euthanized”.

The zoo confirmed that the death, the first fatal incident in its history, occurred during visiting hours.

She said: ‘Sadly the staff member who was attacked by the tiger has died at the scene.

A zookeeper on New Zealand’s North Island was killed Sunday after a tiger attacked her, officials said.

Vervoort said some of the zoo’s five Sumatran tigers will be on display. WorkSafe has been notified of the incident and is investigating, a spokesman said.

Veterinarians and zoo staff believe Oz’s attack on Ms Kudeweh was in line with his natural instincts.

All other animals at the zoo are appropriately contained.

Vervoort said the zoo would not comment on the incident until an investigation was completed.

A Hamilton Zoo staff member has died after being attacked by a tiger.

Ms Kudeweh was a curator at the zoo, organising imports and exports. Kudewah’s colleague Catherine Nichols said the 43-year-old, mother-of-two was a passionate conservationist whose expertise in captive breeding programmes was recognised internationally.

Kudeweh, who studied at Auckland University, spent eight years at the Auckland Zoo and two years at Melbourne and Werribee zoos before working at Hamilton.

He describes the zoo as a very safe, very well run operation and keepers never go into the enclosures with risky animals.