A veteran keeper at a Dutch safari park died Tuesday after being savagely mutilated inside a leopard enclosure. The keeper, who had worked at Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek for almost four decades, was caring for two male Persian leopards in an indoor enclosure due to bad weather on Saturday, the zoo said in a statement. “The keeper started at Beekse Bergen Safari Park at the age of 17 and worked here, with only brief interruptions, for almost 40 years,” the park said. A zookeeper was mauled to death by a leopard at Safaripark Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek, a city in the Netherlands. ANP/AFP via Getty Images “His passing also deeply affects us all, and we are deeply saddened by his family, friends and loved ones. We ask for peace and privacy for his loved ones and our staff, so that they may process this profound loss.” The goalkeeper suffered serious head and neck injuries and frantically called for help with her walkie-talkie during the terrifying attack, according to Dutch News. The zookeeper was killed after entering the leopard enclosure. Bart Brebels / YouTube What led to the horrific attack is unclear as the indoor facility lacks surveillance cameras and an investigation is underway. Zoo staff are generally not allowed to be in the same enclosure as the big cats. After the vicious attack, an air ambulance rushed her to a local hospital for emergency surgery, but her condition worsened the next day. A park spokesperson told Omroep Brabant, a local media outlet, that the leopards were behaving normally. “They are and continue to be predators,” the spokesperson said. An area will be created in the park for staff to express their condolences, Beekse Bergen said in a statement. With postal cables
