The Florida zookeeper who was fatally mauled by a tiger last week broke protocol by entering the animal’s enclosure, NBC News reported.
In a statement Friday, Palm Beach Zoo president Andrew Aiken said tiger expert Stacey Konwiser went against zoo policy and entered a portion of the tiger’s enclosure on April 15. He said “it was clearly designated as accessible by a tiger.”
“Under Palm Beach Zoo policy, zoo employees are never allowed to enter a tiger enclosure to which the animal has access," Aiken said.
Konwiser was left with fatal injuries to her neck after the animal attacked her. She was attending to the tigers alone, which is permitted by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, according to the zoo.
