# Caretaker seriously injured in panther attack at Beekse Bergen

> A panther attacked a keeper at the Hilvarenbeek safari park on Saturday, seriously injuring her. She has since had surgery, but her condition remains worrying. She raised the alarm herself by radio.

Society · published 2026-10-24 14:20 · updated 2026-10-25 04:21 · https://nlnow.nl/a/caretaker-found-badly-hurt-at-beekse-bergen-safari-park/

A female keeper at Beekse Bergen safari park in Hilvarenbeek, North Brabant, was seriously injured on Saturday when a Persian panther attacked her in the panther enclosure. Colleagues found her around 11:00 in one of the indoor sections.

Emergency services turned out in large numbers and a trauma helicopter was called and landed at the park. She was taken to hospital in critical condition.

The park said no visitors were involved. Police said her family has been informed. The labour inspectorate (arbeidsinspectie) visited the park on Saturday afternoon and is investigating, including whether the safety protocol was followed. The park is carrying out its own investigation.

The keeper has had surgery, but her condition remains worrying ("zorgelijk"), a park spokesperson said on Saturday evening. She has worked at the park for 25 years, the past eight in its predator section.

The park says keepers and predators are normally never in the same space. The spokesperson said something went wrong, that there are no cameras in the enclosure and that she was working alone. Martin van Hees, the park's head of animal care, said no action will be taken against the panther: "It was simply in its enclosure doing what it does. The animal cannot be blamed."

After the attack, the keeper raised the alarm herself on her radio (portofoon). A colleague working nearby heard her call for help and came to her aid, Van Hees said.

She was looking after two Persian panthers that share an enclosure. They were kept indoors because of the weather. Van Hees said he does not yet know which of the two animals attacked her.

## Background

- **arbeidsinspectie**: The Dutch labour inspectorate is the government body that checks whether employers follow the rules on working conditions, such as safety and health at work, working hours and rest periods. It is part of the Inspectie SZW (Inspectorate for Social Affairs and Employment) and can investigate workplace accidents and issue fines or orders to employers. When a serious incident happens at work, the police or the employer typically notify the inspectorate so that it can look into what went wrong.

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