Veteran Dutch Zookeeper Dies After Leopard Attack

An experienced zookeeper at Beekse Bergen safari park in the southern Netherlands has died after being mauled by a leopard in an indoor enclosure. The woman, who had worked at the park on and off for 40 years after beginning her career there at age 17, was caring for two Persian leopards when the attack occurred on Saturday. She suffered injuries to her head and neck and underwent emergency surgery. The park confirmed her death on Tuesday and said an independent investigation would be launched. The leopards had been brought indoors because of bad weather, despite usually being kept away from staff. The exact circumstances of the attack remain unclear, as there are no CCTV cameras inside the enclosure. NL Times reported that the keeper managed to contact colleagues by walkie-talkie despite her injuries and was flown to hospital in critical condition. A Beekse Bergen spokesperson told local outlet Omroep Brabant that the leopards were behaving naturally and would not be euthanised, emphasizing that they are predators. The park expressed sympathy for the keeper’s family, friends, and colleagues, and said its immediate priority was supporting them. It also plans to create a memorial site where guests and staff can leave condolences.

A zookeeper at Safaripark Beekse Bergen in the southern Netherlands died on Tuesday after being mauled while caring for two Persian leopards in an indoor enclosure. The attack occurred days earlier. The animals had been brought inside because of bad weather, and staff are usually kept away from the leopards. The park said there were no cameras in the enclosure, so the precise circumstances of the attack are unknown. Local media reported that the keeper suffered serious head and neck injuries and underwent emergency surgery before she died. In a statement, the park said the woman began working there at age 17 and had served for nearly 40 years, apart from a few short interruptions. The park said her death had deeply affected staff and asked that her family, friends, loved ones, and employees be given peace and privacy as they grieve. An independent investigation will examine what happened. A spokesperson told local outlet Omroep Brabant that the leopards had behaved naturally, adding that they remain predators. The article also describes leopards as solitary predators found in Africa and Asia that primarily hunt animals such as deer, monkeys, and antelope at night. It places the fatal incident in the context of other deadly big-cat attacks on animal-care workers and others at parks. Examples include a zookeeper killed by a lion in Thailand last year, a zookeeper killed by lions in Crimea in October 2024, a keeper killed by a Siberian tiger at Zurich Zoo in 2020, a recent graduate killed by an escaped lion at a North Carolina conservatory in 2018, and a zookeeper killed by a Malayan tiger at Florida’s Palm Beach Zoo in 2016.

A veteran zookeeper at Safaripark Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands, died after being mauled by two male Persian leopards, according to the park and reports cited in the article. The keeper had worked at the safari park for nearly 40 years, having started there at age 17. On Saturday, she was caring for the leopards in an indoor enclosure because of bad weather. The circumstances that led to the attack remain unclear. The enclosure did not have surveillance cameras, and an investigation is underway. The article says zoo staff are not usually permitted to enter the same enclosure as big cats. During the attack, the keeper reportedly sustained serious head and neck injuries and called for help over her walkie-talkie. An air ambulance took her to a local hospital for emergency surgery, but her condition worsened the following day, and she died Tuesday. A park spokesperson said the leopards were behaving normally, while emphasizing that they remain predators. Beekse Bergen expressed grief for the keeper and her loved ones and asked for privacy as staff and family process the loss. The park also said it would establish a place where staff could pay their respects. The article does not provide a confirmed explanation for how the keeper came to be in the enclosure or what triggered the mauling.