What we can learn from history's most notorious zoo disasters
At the weekend a man tragically died after being attacked by a tiger at a zoo in Yorkshire.
South Yorkshire Police rushed to Yorkshire Wildlife Park at around 1.30pm on Saturday following reports that a man had entered the enclosure and had been attacked by the tiger.
Witnesses said staff at the zoo 'did everything they could' but the man was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
A police spokesperson said: “Emergency services attended and sadly, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Advert
“Regarding rumours surrounding the condition of the tiger, the animal was uninjured and remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.”
The zoo has since issued a statement confirming that the adult Siberian tiger, called Altai, will not be euthanised following the incident.
In a statement shared with LADbible, the zoo said: "We would like to thank everyone who has expressed their concern following yesterday's tragic incident.
"Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies remain with the family and loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life.
"The park will be closed today and the staff team who were deeply affected by events will receive specialist support.
"Many, many people have contacted us about Altai, the tiger. We can reassure everyone that he is safe and well and will not be euthanised as a result of this incident."
Incidents such as this one are incredibly rare but there have been several high-profile stories across the globe involving deaths at zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks.
Toddler rescued from Harambe
In May 2016, a toddler made his way inside the gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo, after he crawled through some bushes and fell around 15 feet into a moat.
Once inside, a 17-year-old Western lowland gorilla, named Harambe, made his way towards the three-year-old boy before grabbing and violently dragging him.
Fearing for the youngster’s life, a zookeeper shot and killed Harambe.
The youngster was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
The gorilla’s death sparked a backlash around the globe and even ended up as a bizarre meme.
The incident also prompted the zoo to build a new indoor habitat where the public can view the gorillas year-round from behind safety glass.
Orca attack at SeaWorld
In 2010, 40-year-old whale instructor Dawn Brancheau was pulled under the water by a killer whale during a performance at SeaWorld in Orlando.
Horrified visitors looked on as the orca - named Tilikum - grabbed Brancheau’s ponytail and dragged her into the water.
Staff leapt into action and attempted to save Brancheau, but by the time they retrieved her body she had died.
Her autopsy showed she died of blunt force trauma and drowning.
In response to the tragedy, SeaWorld said it was stopping trainers from entering the water with orcas for good.
It also later scrapped its orca breeding programme and phased out the shows, replacing them with an educational presentation called Orca Encounter.
San Fransisco Zoo tiger attack
A 17-year-old died and two others were left injured after a female Siberian tiger named Tatiana managed to escape her open-air enclosure at San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day in 2007.
Carlos Sousa Jr. was tragically killed in the incident while brothers Paul Dhaliwal, 19, and Kulbir Dhaliwal, 23, were left with severe bite and claw injuries.
Reports at the time claimed the three males had been seen taunting the tigers prior to the attack.
Court documents alleged that they had been seen shouting and waving at the tiger from the edge of the enclosure.
"As a result of this investigation, (police believe) that the tiger may have been taunted/agitated by its eventual victims," Inspector Valerie Matthews said in an affidavit at the time.
Following the incident, the zoo remodelled and redesigned its tiger enclosure to include glass fencing and installed electrified ‘hotwire’.
China’s Badaling Wildlife World mauling
An incident involving a tiger also happened in China’s Badaling Wildlife World in July 2016.
A woman was driving through the tiger enclosure, which was a permitted activity at the zoo, but then stopped and got out of her car.
After exiting the car, she walked around to the other side where she was pounced on by a tiger and dragged her away.
The woman’s mother heroically attempted to rescue her daughter but was killed by a second tiger.
The woman managed to escape but was left with serious injuries following the attack.
She filed legal action against the zoo in 2016, seeking the equivalent of around £190,000.
A report carried out following the incident ruled that the park had provided sufficient warnings to visitors and said the main cause of the attack was the woman’s actions, the BBC reported.
Topics: World News, Animals
Claire Reid
