West Palm Beach Police said the tiger was tranquilized.
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Konwiser was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center by helicopter after a tranquilizer given to the tiger took effect.
Konwiser’s husband is also a zookeeper at the facility.
“This particular keeper this was her specialty this is what she was trained to deal and loved. You don’t go into this profession for any type of praise or accolades, you go into this profession because you care about these animals and in Stacey’s case she cared greatly for tigers”, said Carter.
“Stacey loved big cats”.
She was known as the “tiger whisperer”. Her identity was being withheld until family members have been notified.
“We feel it is something that Stacey would want in us moving forward together as a family”, said spokeswoman Naki Carter.
West Palm Beach police spokeswoman Lori Colombino says Konwiser was attacked in the Malayan tiger’s enclosure.
A rare and endangered breed, the Malayan tigers’s numbers are exceedingly small.
Konwiser’s death is now under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as the zoo remains closed through Sunday. The Palm Beach zoo has been accredited by the American Zoological Association for 25 years, and has had a pretty spotless record.
“It looks like the keeper wasn’t following safety protocols as he fed the white tiger and it attacked him, causing serious injuries that caused his death”. When they arrived at the Palm Beach Zoo, Jeremy commented,”It’s great working with your spouse”.
Salmoni said people who work with big cats understand and accept the danger. “And I know that just her love for them, if you knew her, then you knew about her love for these creatures”.
Carter declined to comment on the investigation, but said she wanted to “dispel misinformation” that the tiger had been mistreated. It is also one of the zoo’s most risky areas, which staff refers as Class 1.
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The Palm Beach Post newspaper reported that the victim of the attack, which happened at around 2 p.m. local time, was longtime zookeeper Stacey Konwiser, 37. A tragic incident occurred. “We ask the media and public to respect the privacy of those involved during this hard time”, the statement concludes.
