Leopard mauls woman to death at Dutch zoo as terrified visitors flee scene

Leopard mauls woman to death at Dutch zoo as terrified visitors flee scene A zookeeper has died after being savagely attacked by a Persian leopard at Beekse Bergen Zoo in the Netherlands, with her colleague reportedly hearing screams A zookeeper has died after being brutally attacked by a leopard, sending terrified visitors fleeing in panic. The woman, thought to be in her 50s, was tending to two male Persian leopards at Beekse Bergen Zoo in Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands when the horror mauling happened. According to local outlet Brabants Dagblad, the keeper managed to alert her colleagues via walkie-talkie, with one colleague reportedly hearing her screams. It remains unclear whether one or both leopards were involved. Her colleagues administered first aid before she was airlifted to hospital and underwent surgery on Saturday afternoon.. The woman, whose name has been withheld in accordance with Dutch privacy law, passed away on Tuesday. Head of animal care at the zoo, Martin van Hees, revealed the woman had worked at the zoo for 25 years, spending eight of those working alongside leopards. "She is a very experienced colleague who is always very alert to safety," he said. Zoo visitor Annelies de Jonge told reporters that people were running when the attack took place and that a keeper had been hurt. "We were standing by the safari bus with our family and grandchildren when suddenly several staff members and cars ran in that direction," she said. Those already on the bus were asked to disembark. An investigation into the attack has been launched. Tragically, this is not the first fatal incident to occur at the zoo. Back in 2003, a 37-year-old member of staff was killed by an elephant on the same site. Beekse Bergen holds the title of the largest wildlife and safari resort in the Benelux region. The leopard attack comes just a fortnight after William Chapman died from "multiple traumatic injuries and animal interaction" after he entered the enclosure of an Amur tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Senior coroner Nicola Mundy revealed he had a history of mental illness, a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis.