A zoo keeper has died after being mauled by a Persian leopard at Safaripark Beekse Bergen in the Netherlands, just days after managing to radio a call for help from inside the enclosure, the park has confirmed.

The woman, in her 50s, was attacked on Saturday 24 October while carrying out routine care for two male Persian leopards in the indoor area of their enclosure at the park in Hilvarenbeek, near Tilburg. Her name has not been released.

She raised the alarm over her walkie-talkie at about 11am and colleagues rushed to the scene and reached her inside the enclosure. She had suffered severe head and neck injuries and was airlifted to hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery. The park said the operation went as planned, but she remained sedated in intensive care.

On Sunday, officials said her chances of survival were 'very slim'. She died on Tuesday, 27 October, three days after the attack. In announcing her death, the park said the loss had 'deeply affected us all' and that support was being offered to her family, colleagues and loved ones. A memorial space is to be set up for staff and visitors to leave flowers and messages.

The park described her as a very experienced keeper who had worked at Beekse Bergen since she was 17, spending almost 40 years there with a few short interruptions. She had worked with the leopards for eight years.

Martin van Hees, the park's Head of Animal Care, said she was 'always very alert to safety' and called the incident 'deeply tragic'.

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Investigation Under Way Into Leopard Mauling

The Dutch Labour Authority is investigating alongside the park to establish what happened and whether safety procedures were followed. It is also expected to review the park's protocols for working with dangerous animals.

The park said its usual safety procedures are designed to keep staff and predators separated. The leopards had been kept indoors because of bad weather, and investigators are examining how the keeper came to be attacked inside their enclosure.

'Something went differently than it should have,' Mr van Hees said. Park spokeswoman Linda Engels added: 'Something went wrong there, but we don't know what yet.'

There are no CCTV cameras in the indoor enclosure, and investigators have not established whether one or both leopards were involved. The circumstances of the attack remain unclear.

A visitor, Annelies de Jonge, told the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad that she saw several vehicles and staff speeding towards the leopard area, and that passengers already on a safari bus were told to get off. The park has arranged support for staff who witnessed the aftermath.

Park Says Leopards Will Not Be Put Down

The park has confirmed that neither leopard will be put down. Mr van Hees told Dutch media that the animal 'simply sat in its enclosure and did what it did', adding that it 'cannot help it'. A park spokesperson said the leopards had behaved naturally and 'are, and remain, predators'. The animals will continue to be cared for while the investigation proceeds.

The park has not announced any permanent changes to how the leopards are housed, although it has said its safety procedures for working with dangerous animals are being reviewed.

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