To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Zookeeper Dies After Being Mauled By Black Bears In Front Of Visitors

Zookeeper Dies After Being Mauled By Black Bears In Front Of Visitors

Terrified tourists reportedly watched on

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

A zookeeper in a Chinese zoo has died after being mauled by black bears in front of visitors.

Tourists were on a bus at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park when he was ripped up by the group of animals, which initially became public knowledge via claims on social media.

The park later confirmed that one of the workers had been attacked by the bears and had died as a result.

Peta Asia

No comment was made on the allegations that the worker was 'torn up' in front of visitors.

The accident happened on Saturday afternoon, with the park saying that the victim was 'carrying out work' in the open-air area where the wild animals were being watched by tourists.

As reported by MailOnline, gruesome footage shows bears gathering together around a pond. Although the news outlet couldn't verify the video, another clip seen on Chinese media features tourists shouting 'there seems to be a man'.

The park has said that it will be investigating the safety measures that are in place.

Tragically, this is far from the only bear attack to have recently hit the news.

A circus trainer was mauled to death last week after a bear 'didn't recognise' him after he forgot to take off his coronavirus face mask before entering the animal's cage.

The trained bear didn't recognise 28-year-old Valentin Bulich when he came into the enclosure and attacked him, according to a source at the Great Moscow State Circus.

The brutal attack saw the large creature - called Yasha - tear off the trainer's scalp and claw at his body.

East2West News

Fellow circus workers managed to drag the battered body of the young man out of the bear's cage, but he died in hospital as a result of his injuries some time later.

It had been claimed that Bulich - who had always dreamed of being a bear tamer - had gone into the cage to further hone his skills, but it has since turned out he was actually just going in for routine cleaning.

He locked the door inside, as per the normal practice to stop the bear escaping, but that only served to trap him in once the bear attacked.

The circus source told local media outlet BAZA Media: "Valentine went in alone - this bear knew him well.

"What happened? He forgot to take off his Covid mask.

"He entered the cage with a mask, and the bear did not recognise him.

"He turned away from the bear with his back, and it immediately attacked him."

Featured Image Credit: PETA Asia

Topics: Animals, China