A zookeeper is fighting for her life after being attacked by a leopard inside its enclosure. The woman, in her 50s, was discovered in the big cat’s enclosure by horrified colleagues who had heard her screaming for assistance. She was rushed to hospital where she is currently undergoing surgery and is said to be in a critical condition. Emergency services were scrambled to the Beekse Bergen Safari Park in Hilvarenbeek, the Netherlands, at around 11am on Saturday morning.
Head of Animal Care at the zoo, Martin van Hees, said the victim had been employed there for 25 years and was “very experienced” and “alert” to safety concerns.
He told local media: “At this moment, the woman is in the hospital and is undergoing surgery; her condition is worrying. We know there is a risk when working with dangerous animals, but you never want to experience something like this.”
The terrifying incident took place in an indoor enclosure, where the animals had been kept due to a storm on Friday evening, according to local media reports.
The victim, who has not been named, is reported to have raised the alarm using her radio. She is believed to have spent the past eight years working alongside the leopards at the zoo.
The incident unfolded at a safari park in the Netherlands. (Image: Getty)
Park staff are set to hold an emergency meeting tomorrow and an investigation has been launched to determine the precise circumstances surrounding the attack.
Mr Van Hees added: “We are investigating that; we do not know exactly what happened. Her immediate colleague heard the cry for help and rushed to her aid.”
The animal involved is thought to be one of two Persian leopards kept at the facility. Zoo staff have confirmed it will not be destroyed.
Mr Van Hees stated: “We are not going to do anything with the leopard. It just sat in its enclosure and did what it did. The animal cannot help it.”
Spokeswoman Linda Engels revealed that the woman had been conducting her routine rounds that morning, working alone inside the enclosure housing two Persian leopards, in accordance with standard protocol.
Her colleagues found her within 15 minutes and managed to separate the leopard from the victim with a fence before freeing her, according to local media reports.
Ms Engels said: “She is seriously injured. She was conscious this afternoon, but is now undergoing surgery. Her condition is critical.
“It is still too early to draw conclusions. Our primary concern at this time is for this caregiver, her family, and the colleagues involved.”
The park confirmed that no visitors were involved in the incident, and the Dutch Labour Inspectorate has since launched an investigation.