British zoo keeper dies after tiger attack

PanARMENIAN.Net - A zoo keeper who was mauled to death by a tiger had no reason to be in its enclosure, according to the animal park's owner, The Guardian reported.

Sarah McClay, 24, was attacked by a Sumatran tiger at South Lakes Wild Animal Park, in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, on Friday, May 24 afternoon. She was taken by air ambulance to Royal Preston Hospital but died later from her injuries.

Cumbria police said the tiger was locked in its enclosure following the attack and that members of the public were not at any risk during the incident. Police and Barrow borough council are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

David Gill, the owner and founder of South Lakes Wild Animal Park, said McClay was very experienced in looking after big cats and he had no explanation as to why she had entered the enclosure.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "After investigation by the authorities here and the police, it does seem that she just basically failed to follow the correct procedures. For some unknown reason, an inexplicable reason, because there is no reason for why she did it, she opened the door and went into the tiger enclosure and straight into the tigers, and now we'll never know why."

Gill said McClay, who was from the Barrow area, had worked at the wildlife park for a number of years and was "very proficient" in her work with big cats.

He said that it was against strict safety protocols to walk into the tiger's cage, adding that the zoo had passed a major inspection on Monday, in which it was praised for its safety standards.