In New Zealand: Tiger eats up female zoo keeper

A female zoo keeper has been killed during a tiger attack in New Zealand.

A female zoo keeper has been killed during a tiger attack in New Zealand.

The male tiger named Oz killed 43-year-old Samantha Kudeweh Sunday morning inside the animal's enclosure at the Hamilton Zoo.

Kudeweh had been a zookeeper for more than 20 years and was the mother of two children, aged nine and three.

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Though specific details of how the tragedy occurred have not been released. Kudeweh was the zoo's curator, responsible for organizing what animals the zoo obtained and how it looked after them.

She had worked at several zoos before starting at the Hamilton Zoo in 2005. She wrote about her job on the zoo's website:

"For me the best thing about my role is the opportunities to interact with other species one to one, but there is a downside and that is having to say goodbye to animals," she wrote. "That part never gets any easier."

 

 

Hamilton City Council chief executive Richard Briggs told reporters: "We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of a female Hamilton zoo staff member today after an attack by one of the zoo's Sumatran tigers this morning.

"We are working alongside New Zealand police, the Ministry of Primary Industries and Workplace Safety to investigate the circumstances of this incident which has led to one of our staff member's deaths."

 

However, the zoo decided that it won't euthanize the Sumatran tiger that attacked and killed the veteran zookeeper.

Lance Vervoort, the council's general manager for the community, said in a statement there was always a risk for zoo staff in managing big animals like Oz but the tiger didn't pose a wider risk.

"Oz is a significant animal for his species," Vervoort said. "He is the father of our two cubs, and he is vital to the ongoing breeding program to conserve this rare species."

Vervoot said the zoo wouldn't comment on what went wrong until an investigation is completed.

 

The zoo has 128,000 visitors a year, making it about the fourth most popular zoo in New Zealand.

The zoo was closed after the attack. It will reopen Thursday.

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However, this is not the first time a zookeeper has been fatally attacked. In 2009, a South African zookeeper at Zion wildlife gardens was mauled and killed by a white tiger.