A 50-year-old man, an employee of the Zoo in Piteşti (Romania), was found dead on Monday morning on the premises of the institution.
He was allegedly killed by a tiger after entering its enclosure.
"An employee of the zoo lost his life following an attack by a tiger. It is the first time in 50 years that such a thing has happened! It is a huge loss, and our thoughts go out to the family and loved ones of the victim in these moments of grief!
From the preliminary information available, the incident occurred due to the employee's failure to comply with safety protocols, mandatory protocols for working with wild animals!
"We will collaborate with all the authorities involved to understand exactly what happened and to ensure that such tragedies will not be repeated," said the mayor of Piteşti, Cristian Gentea, in a Facebook post.
He emphasized that the institution is committed to maintaining the highest safety standards in all activities carried out at the Zoo.
"It is our responsibility to protect the lives of all those who work there and also to ensure the welfare of the animals. I have ordered the temporary suspension of activities at the Zoo to conduct a thorough investigation. We will take all necessary measures to prevent further tragedies of this kind," he stated.
Police are conducting investigations to determine exactly what happened.
"This morning, the police from the Municipality of Piteşti were notified that a man, an employee of the Zoo, had died. According to initial investigations, the 50-year-old man had entered the enclosure of some wild animals kept in captivity, at which point he was surprised by one of them. Unfortunately, due to the injuries sustained, the man died," IPJ Argeş reported.
The man's body will be transported to the forensic unit to determine the exact cause of death.
The investigations are being continued by the police from the Criminal Investigations Bureau in Piteşti, with a criminal case being opened for manslaughter, failure to take, or failure to comply with legal safety and health measures at work, under the supervision of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Piteşti Court, to establish all the circumstances of the event.