“This marks the first death of a human involved in an animal incident in the 60-year history of the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society”.
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The zoo keeper, 38-year-old Stacey Konwiser, was killed on Friday after a male Malayan tiger attacked her.
“Stacey was an expert”.
Carter, the zoo spokeswoman, said Konwiser was “efficient and proficient” at her job and, on the afternoon of the attack, she said Konwiser was doing her daily chores. She spoke a language they spoke a language they spoke to each other in a language that only they could understand. “She dedicated her life to her mission of protecting this species”.
Nina Blakeman, right, of the Palm Beach zoo receives a hug inside the zoo office on Friday. The zoo will remain closed throughout the weekend, officials said. The tiger was subdued with a tranquilizer and officials treated the injured woman who was then rushed to St. Mary’s Medical Center, the newspaper reported. She was airlifted from the scene. She refused to address claims made on the attraction’s Facebook page that the animal had been or would be euthanised.
“Naki Carter, a Palm Beach Zoo spokesperson, told TV station WPTV: “[Ms Konwiser] loved tigers. Carter said she had no information on what would happen to the tiger. The zoo has stressed that at no time was the public in any danger and the animal never escaped captivity. The zoo was evacuated.Leonardo DiCaprio, who is helping increase tiger population, has said: “Tigers are some of the most vital and beloved animals on Earth”. Zoo staff say it never posed a threat to guests.
According to the organization, there have been 24 deaths and 265 injuries in the US from big cat attacks since 1990.
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Malayan tigers are endangered, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Carter said there are less than 250 left in the wild. There are about 50 more in captivity in zoos in North America. The zoo said that there was enough staff on hand to handle the situation, and keep the tiger from posing any further threat. Malayan tigers, once thought to be Indochinese tigers, were reclassified in 2004 after DNA testing proved they were a unique subspecies.
