Quarter-century at safari park, then leopard attack leaves woman keeper critically injured

AMSTERDAM: A woman zookeeper in her 50s is in critical condition after being attacked by a Persian leopard at Beekse Bergen Safari Park in Hilvarenbeek, the Netherlands, on Saturday morning. She has worked at the park for 25 years, including the past eight years in its predator section, according to local reports.

The woman was making her routine rounds with a colleague but was alone inside the enclosure when the attack occurred at around 11 am. She raised the alarm over her radio, prompting her colleagues to rush to her aid. They found her seriously injured inside the enclosure with one of the park's two Persian leopards.

She was rushed to hospital by ambulance and underwent surgery on Saturday. Although she survived the night following the operation, her condition remained critical on Sunday. Park officials said she was being kept sedated and had not yet regained consciousness.

The circumstances surrounding the attack remain unclear. The enclosure has no cameras, making it difficult to establish exactly what happened. Both the park and the Dutch Labour Inspectorate have launched investigations into the incident.

The park said its safety procedures are designed to ensure that keepers are never in the same space as predators. Staff generally work in pairs but enter enclosures separately. Investigators are examining how the attack occurred and whether the established procedures were followed.