Beekse Bergen keeper seriously hurt in leopard attack
A keeper at the Beekse Bergen safari park is being kept asleep after a Persian leopard attacked her on Saturday. The labour inspectorate has opened an investigation.
A female animal keeper at Beekse Bergen was seriously injured on Saturday when a Persian leopard attacked her. A park spokesperson said on Sunday morning that her condition remains very worrying and that she is being kept asleep.
The operation she underwent on Saturday went as it should, and she made it through the night.
The Arbeidsinspectie, the labour inspectorate, started an investigation on Saturday. Beekse Bergen says it is also carrying out its own investigation.
The park says it will not put down the leopard that attacked her. The animals are being looked after as normal.
Martin van Hees, head of animal care at the park, said he was shocked. "We know there is a risk when you work with dangerous animals, but this is something you never want to experience," he said. He described the keeper as very experienced and always alert to safety.
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Arbeidsinspectie
The Labour Inspectorate is the Dutch government body that supervises whether employers follow the rules on working conditions and occupational safety. It carries out inspections and investigations, including after serious workplace accidents, and can issue orders and fines when rules are broken. Its role is to protect the health and safety of employees in the Netherlands.