Tiger spared after fatal attack on New Zealand zoo keeper, Officials Say

Radio Poland said the animals are usually locked in a separate area, but it appears that the keeper on duty failed to lock the door properly.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand A veteran New Zealand zookeeper was attacked and killed by a Sumatran tiger Sunday inside the animal’s enclosure.

Hamilton Zoo acknowledged the risk involved in managing tigers while ruling out the option to put down the tiger, named Oz, after the tragedy, Hamilton City Council’s community general manager Lance Vervoort said.

The victim died at the scene as a result of her injuries, Senior Sgt. Mr Vervoort said the widely held view among zoo staff was Oz’s attack on Samantha was in line with his natural instincts. She was married to another zoo professional.

“It is too early to determine exactly what’s happened”.

The zoo’s popular Tiger Talks, Eye 2 Eye and Face 2 Face encounters for all species have been suspended until further notice to allow zoo staff time and space to grieve for their friend and colleague. After about 45 minutes to an hour, another zookeeper staff approached the customers to leave and offered them refund. Kudeweh, 43, was in charge of animal management and had worked at the zoo for the past decade. In November, two cubs were born at Hamilton Zoo under a global breeding program, according to the park’s website. “That half by no means will get any simpler”.

The woman is the third keeper to be killed at a New Zealand zoo in six years.

Oz, who came to the zoo in 2013, is one of five Sumatran tigers who reside there, and the zoo seems to have taken the species’ plight into account when making its decision. The public was never in danger during the incident and all animals remained in their enclosures, said Council spokesman Jeff Neems.

Sumatran tigers are considered critically endangered, with less than 400 of the subspecies alive in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Officials are “firmly” focused on “supporting Samantha’s family, the zoo team, and mak[ing] sure we conduct thorough and complete investigations into this tragic incident”, Vervoort said in the statement.