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Rosa King, who died yesterday, pictured with a cheetah in 2015. Facebook/Hamerton Zoo Park
Tragedy
UK zoo blames 'freak accident' after zookeeper is killed by tiger
The zookeeper has been named as Rosa King.
THE ZOOKEEPER WHO died in a UK zoo when a tiger entered an enclosure with her has been named as 33-year-old Rosa King.
Hamerton Zoo Park has described the incident as a “freak accident” and tried to reassure visitors that the public were not in harm’s way during the incident.
“We are sorry but our staff are too distressed to speak directly to the media, as one of our colleagues was killed at Hamerton Zoo Park this morning. This appears to have been a freak accident,” the zoo said on its Facebook page.
A full investigation is currently underway and we hope that more details can be announced as soon as we are able. At no point during the incident did any animals escape their enclosures, and at no point was public safety affected in any way.
Cambridgeshire police says officers were called to the park at about 11.15 am yesterday and that the female zookeeper died at the scene.
“At no time did the animal escape from the enclosure. The incident is not believed to be suspicious,” police said.
The zoo is located near the Cambridgeshire town of Huntingdon and is about 25 acres in size.
Among the animals kept there are both Malaysian and Bengal tigers.
Tributes
Colleagues and friends have been paying tribute to King with friend and wildlife photographer Garry Cisholm telling BBC News that she was the “focal point” and “shining light” of the wildlife park.
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