The tragic event took place on Wednesday 16 September before 8 am. A fifty-seven-year old zookeeper was attacked by a tiger when he entered its pen to clean it up. "According to our preliminary investigation, the man was given the task to mow the grass in the pen. The animals were to be isolated for the time. However, for unknown reason, the tiger entered the premises and attacked the man. Was it human error or simple negligence? "Both the police and the National Labour Inspectorate are launching an investigation," says Kamil Rynkiewicz from the Lower silesia police. We were informed of the event by the emergency ambulance service," he adds.
The National Labour Inspectorate officers are also investigating into the matter. No blame can put on the technology. All appliances and safety barriers are in working order. There are no witnesses to the event. "We have to examine the employee who worked in the pen he previous day. Tigers are not forced to spend the night indoors. They can sleep outdoors if they like to," says Agata Kostyk-Lewandowska, Spokesperson for the National Labour Inspectorate. It is possible that the attack is down to the zookeeper's habitual routine. As he saw no sign of the tiger in the pen, he failed to double check if the animals are indoors, blocked the gates and entered the premises. Then the attack took place. However, only thorough investigation is able to answer all the questions. "My experiences tells me that mistakes such as this are made either by inexperienced employees or those with many years of experience who fall victim to their habitual routine," says the National Labour Inspectorate Spokesperson.
The tiger was already examined by a vet. The animal is healthy, and nobody knows what provoked the aggression, since the large cat was never hostile to its keepers.
The police and prosecutors are on the spot. The zoo is open to the public. The fatal area has been fenced off with a tape, and no access is granted to visitors. "We are shattered. We are in the process of preparing a statement," say press office personnel at the zoo. It has been revealed that the victim was an experienced employee. He had worked in the zoo for 20 years.
Two similar tragic events took place in the Wroclaw Zoo in the past. In 1997, a zookeeper lost his foot in a bear attack. In 2003, a zookeeper died on the spot accidentally crushed by a female elephant. In both cases, the blame was on human error.
