Tiger Kills Zoo Worker At UK Animal Park

A tiger killed a zoo worker this week at an animal park in the UK.

According to the BBC, Sarah McClay, 24, was attacked by a Sumatran tiger at the South Wild Animal Park on Friday. It is unclear why McClay was in the tiger enclosure. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Park owner David Gill said that McClay was a “very experienced” zoo keeper and was shocked to learn about her death.

Gill said: “We have very strict protocols and procedures for working with big cats, but it seems she failed to follow correct procedures … For inexplicable reasons she opened a door and walked into the enclosure. We will never know why she entered without telling anyone. There was no reason for her to go in there.”

The zoo was briefly closed down after the attack but a spokesman for the animal park assured zoo goers that the public was never in any danger.

A spokesman told the Guardian: “The tiger is securely locked in its enclosure and there is no further risk to the public. Members of the public were not at any risk. The wildlife park has closed early and all visitors have left the park.”

Park owner Gill said that the tiger would not be killed for mauling the zoo worker.

Gill said: “He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s a tiger and his natural instinct is to kill. We all know that and that’s why all the protocols are in place … He didn’t make a mistake, he was just there. We don’t blame him for what happened.”

Here’s a video report about the incident from the BBC.

Sadly, this isn’t the first time that a lion or a tiger has killed a zoo worker this year. A California woman was killed earlier this year at the Cat Haven animal park in Fresno County by a lion.