Fatal breach: Zookeeper killed by tiger at Romanian zoo
A tragic accident occurred at the zoo in Pitești, Romania. A tiger caretaker forgot to close the cage door, allowing the animal to attack him. The man died instantly.
At the zoo in Pitești, located about 120 kilometres from Bucharest, a tragic accident happened on Monday. The 52-year-old tiger caretaker entered the enclosure to clean it but neglected to close the protective cage door.
There were six animals inside. One of them entered the enclosure and attacked the man, fatally biting him in the head.
Tragic accident at the zoo in Romania. Caretaker forgot to close the tiger cage
Rescuers arrived on the scene in 10 minutes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. However, it was already too late. The man died instantly.
The management of the Pitești zoo confirmed that a breach of safety procedures led to the tragedy. The caretaker had been employed at the zoo since 2015.
The city's mayor, Cristian Gentea, expressed regret over the first such accident in 50 years. "It is a tremendous loss, and our thoughts during this time of grief are with the victim's family and loved ones," he wrote on Facebook.
Zoo operations have been suspended. The prosecutor's office and police are conducting an investigation into the caretaker's death.
Zoo authorities announced changes in procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future. British "The Sun" reminds us that in 2000, a similar incident occurred when a tiger escaped from the zoo in Pitești due to an unlatched cage door.
