LATEST INVESTIGATION UPDATE: A longtime zookeeper at Beekse Bergen Safari Park in Hilvarenbeek, the Netherlands, has died after suffering severe injuries in a leopard attack inside the animal’s enclosure. The incident occurred on Saturday, October 24, 2026, while the experienced animal keeper was working with two male Persian leopards. Despite emergency medical treatment and surgery, her condition deteriorated, and she passed away on Tuesday, October 27.
According to the Associated Press, the woman had worked at the safari park since she was 17 and spent nearly four decades caring for animals. Her identity has not been publicly disclosed in accordance with Dutch privacy law. The park and her family confirmed her dєatᩚh in a joint statement, expressing profound grief over the loss.
Reports indicate that the zookeeper was able to alert colleagues through a walkie-talkie after being injured. Emergency responders, including an ambulance and a trauma helicopter, were dispatched to the scene. She was transported for urgent medical treatment, but her injuries proved fatal.
The incident has prompted an official investigation into why the woman was inside the enclosure with the leopards. Zoo employees are generally not permitted to share the same space as predatory animals, making the circumstances surrounding the attack a key focus of the inquiry.
Authorities have not yet announced a definitive explanation for how the attack occurred. Investigators will need to establish the sequence of events, the relevant working procedures, and whether any safety protocols were followed.
Meanwhile, Beekse Bergen Safari Park has expressed its condolences to the victim’s family, colleagues, and loved ones. The park has also announced plans to create a designated area where visitors can leave messages of remembrance.
The investigation remains ongoing. Officials have yet to establish why the zookeeper was inside the leopard enclosure, and further findings may help clarify the circumstances surrounding this tragic workplace incident.
