Zoo remains shut as death probe starts
POLICE and the local council are investigating following the death of a zookeeper who was killed after a tiger entered the enclosure she was in.
A spokesman for Hamerton Zoo Park in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, said it will remain closed after the death of Rosa King, 34, on Monday.
Ms King was described as “inspirational” and enjoyed working with her “beloved cats”, friends said,while her mother said she “wouldn’t have done anything else” as a career.
Cambridgeshire police said the tiger has not been harmed, adding: “We are jointly investigating with the council.”
Nigel McCurdy, for Huntingdonshire District Council, said: “Both the police and the council are working together within routine protocols to progress investigations into the incident as efficiently and effectively as possible.”
A statement released by the zoo said: “It is with huge regret that we confirm that Rosa King, a senior zookeeper who was an invaluable and highly respected member of our team, died on Monday morning after entering a tiger enclosure at Hamerton Zoo Park. We are co-operating fully with the investigation that is being conducted by Huntingdonshire District Council Environmental Health Department.”
The zoo was reportedly told by inspectors to improve its emergency communications systems. The Daily Telegraph said the zoo had been criticised after an inspection in 2013 – which ordered the owners to “review and replace ageing safety barriers where the structural integrity of the barrier is compromised”.