A zookeeper has died after being mauled inside of a leopard enclosure at the Dutch Safari Park.
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Due to severe weather, the female keeper was caring for two male leopards in an indoor enclosure on Saturday before the tragic incident. The unidentified woman, who had nearly four decades of experience, succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.
"The keeper started at the Beekse Bergen Safari Park at the age of 17 and worked here, with only a few short interruptions, for nearly 40 years," the zoo said in a statement.
"Her passing also deeply affects us all. We are intensely grieving with her family, friends, and loved ones. We ask for peace and privacy for her loved ones and our staff, so that they can process this profound loss."
The savage mauling caused serious damage to the keeper's head and neck, according to Dutch News.
The severely injured keeper was airlifted to a local hospital for emergency surgery. However, her condition worsened the next day, the outlet reported.
Since there are no cameras in the indoor enclosures, investigators are unclear what prompted the attack.
The park noted that keepers are typically not allowed in the enclosure with big cats.
Man Killed After Praying to Tiger
Her death comes roughly two weeks after a man was mauled to death by a tiger at a zoo in the United Kingdom.
William Chapman illegally entered the tiger enclosure on Oct. 10 at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Several witnesses claim that the man bowed down and prayed to a 420-pound tiger before the vicious attack.
"[He] started praying to the tiger. Bowing down to it," 21-year-old Scarlet Hogan told The Telegraph (via the New York Post).
Hogan also claimed that the man appeared to be in a trance during his daring venture into the enclosure.
"Up until he got attacked, it was like he was in a trance, not in reality at all," she added.
Witnesses say that Chapman took selfies with the tiger before seemingly surrendering his life to the predator.
"He had arms wide open ready for the tiger to attack him. It was quite bad," Hogan said. "We were just standing there, frozen. The last thing we saw was the tiger's jaw on his neck."
The park announced that the tiger would not be euthanized after the attack.
