Animal attacks are dangerous no matter where they happen. Even those trained to work with animals may find that their once-friendly companions can quickly turn deadly in the wrong circumstances. That’s what happened in this incident where a zookeeper was killed by a tiger.
In cases like this one, workers who are killed may be entitled to benefits, so their families can recover the costs associated with medical care, funeral expenses and lost wages, among other financial needs.
According to the latest news, a tiger reportedly attacked and killed its keeper at a zoo in Florida. The news reports from April 16 state that the worker was at the Palm Beach Zoo when the 13-year-old male Malayan tiger kept at the facility attacked her. The 38-year-old woman was working inside the enclosure and was preparing for the “Tiger Talk” with zoo visitors.
Because the tiger was off-exhibit at the time, no guests saw the attack taking place. Both had been out of sight. After the attack was discovered, the woman needed medical treatment, but there was a problem. The woman could not be reached for treatment until the tiger was tranquilized and the drugs took full effect. That meant waiting for the drugs to kick in and calm the tiger, which cost the woman time that may have been used to help her more effectively.
After the attack, the zoo was closed and visitors were evacuated. It’s been reported that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be looking into the attack to see if any violations took place.
Source: CNN, “Tiger attacks, kills keeper at Florida zoo,” Ralph Ellis and Keith Allen, April 16, 2016
