Keeper Deaths

Mr T

Mr T

Well-Known Member
I was at London zoo last week and overheard a visitor comment that they would not want to be a zookeeper as it was a 'very dangerous' job. They 'informed their companion that lots of zookeeper die every year as they get attacked by the animals.

I found these comments ridiculous and wondered why this person had this view.

I was wondering when the last keeper deaths took place in different countries and the circumstances surrounding them.

If anyone has any info on the most recent ones could they please post them on here using the format below.

Country:
Zoo:
Year:
Circumstance:

Thanks in advance
 
I could name a few from New Zealand and Argentina, which happened both happened in 2007 I believe;

Country: Argentina
Zoo: Florencio Varela Zoo
Year: 2007
Circumstance: Giant anteater attacking and killing a nineteen year old keeper

Country: New Zealand
Zoo: Zion Wildlife Gardens
Year: 2007
Circumstance: A male white tiger attacked and killed his keeper, Dalu when he was I believe walking him around the park.

I'm not sure on the circumstance for the Zion Wildlife Gardens but I believe he was killed by a white tiger.
 
I have read somewhere that per number of jobs an elephant keeper position has an inordinate number of fatalities. Any confirmation on this?
 
Crocfan said:
I have read somewhere that per number of jobs an elephant keeper position has an inordinate number of fatalities. Any confirmation on this?
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That's true, one of the female Asian elephants at Whipsnade (Mya or Lucha) killed a keeper at London when the herd was there, when the herd goes for walks around the park I believe she and another female stay in the Elephant house and don't go on the walks.
 
Jordan-Jaguar97 said:
That's true, one of the female Asian elephants at Whipsnade (Mya or Lucha) killed a keeper at London when the herd was there, when the herd goes for walks around the park I believe she and another female stay in the Elephant house and don't go on the walks.
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Your comment does not support what Crocfan is actually saying there Jordan. All you are saying is that one elephant killed one keeper. That doesn't mean being a keeper is a very dangerous job.

What I think Crocfan is asking is 'do elephant keepers have a the highest percentage death rate compared to any other job?'
 
Elephant keeper Richard Hughes was killed by Asian elephant Kumara at Chester Zoo in 2001. He was butted multiple times.

That same year, Jim Robson an elephant keeper at ZSL London tripped in the enclosure and was trampled to death by one of the three elephants there at the time.
 
SMR said:
Elephant keeper Richard Hughes was killed by Asian elephant Kumara at Chester Zoo in 2001. He was butted multiple times.

That same year, Jim Robson an elephant keeper at ZSL London tripped in the enclosure and was trampled to death by one of the three elephants there at the time.
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The elephant at London was Dilberta/Gita, Twycross had a keeper killed by an elephant in 1991, also Aspinalls two keepers, one in the eighties, if I remember correctly the young bull pulled the keeper up against the bars of the enclosure in the eighties, the second I think also happened about 2001, with an Asian cow that had just recently joined the collection.
 
TARZAN said:
....the second I think also happened about 2001, with an Asian cow that had just recently joined the collection.
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If I'm not mistaken, that would be Darren Cockrill, who was crushed by an Indian elephant called La Petite in February 2000 at Port Lympne.
 
SMR said:
If I'm not mistaken, that would be Darren Cockrill, who was crushed by an Indian elephant called La Petite in February 2000 at Port Lympne.
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If I am correct La Petite is now actually at Ramat Gan Zoo in Israel, she was at Port Lympne from the 30th October 1999 until the 7th January 2001 looking through my records.

She is now managed at no contact which means she has no contact with the keepers at Ramat Gan at all, am I right in saying in the UK that all Asian elephants are either managed at free contact or protected contact, mainly bulls with a few females (Blackpool's females and a Whipsnade female come to mind).
 
I visited Port Lympne in 1984 just after Bindu had killed a keeper whose name I am ashamed to say I cannot recall, I think his first name was Mark and his second began with "H", but I may be wrong. I watched three keepers, one of whom was George Jacobs of literary fame, putting away the Elephants for the night. Bindu was last and charged into the house with the keepers hopping out of the way saying "Good boy". It looked quite a hazardous operation. Of course it used to be said, in the days before protected contact, that for every Elephant born in a zoo (maybe it was a European zoo) a keeper had been killed.
 
Don't forget that three keepers at Howletts were killed by tigers in the 80s and 90s, two by the same tigress. There is a memorial to them beside the main tiger enclosures.
Previously, if I remember correctly, a keeper at a safari park was fatally injured by an eland. Unfortunately a quick Google search did not turn anything up - but someone here may remember more details than I can.

Alan
 
Jordan-Jaguar97 said:
am I right in saying in the UK that all Asian elephants are either managed at free contact or protected contact, mainly bulls with a few females (Blackpool's females and a Whipsnade female come to mind).
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Yes you are right that all Asian Elephants in the UK are kept in either free or protacted contact,but then you could say that about ALL Elephants in the UK,because as far as I know there are only the 2 ways of keeping Elephants!!
 
zoogiraffe said:
Yes you are right that all Asian Elephants in the UK are kept in either free or protacted contact,but then you could say that about ALL Elephants in the UK,because as far as I know there are only the 2 ways of keeping Elephants!!
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That was my first thought too (with the exclamation marks) but, to be fair JJ97 does seem to be comparing free contact and protected contact with "no contact", whatever that is (surely husbandry would be impossible without some contact?).
 
There is also restricted contaxt where you are in the same space as the elephant but it remains chained for the duration. more common throughout asia with Bulls in Musth.
An Australian elephant keeper was killed in africa about 18 months ago.
There have also been multiple anteater related deaths in south america.
 
Country: Argentina
Zoo: Saenz Peña Zoo
Year: 2007
Circumstance: A male jaguar attacked his keeper while she was cleaning the exhibit, the animal managed to escape from the security cage. She immediately died after being bitten on her neck.
 
Parrotsandrew said:
Of course it used to be said, in the days before protected contact, that for every Elephant born in a zoo (maybe it was a European zoo) a keeper had been killed.
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Another Asian bull at Port Lympne, Luka, was also responsible for the deaths of two keepers at one of his former homes, Belgrade Zoo.
 
Country: Czech Republic
Zoo: Dvur Kralove
Year: 2001
Circumstance: Sick female African Elephant attacked 44 year old keeper and caused him several injuries, he died during the transport to a hospital.


BTW, I honestly had no idea that Giant Anteaters can be that dangerous to people.
 
Not a fatality, but certainly not something I would have expected before I did a little searching.

Country: United States
Zoo: Oklahoma City Zoo
Year: 1998
Circumstance: A female keeper pushing food into a Malayan tapir enclosure was dragged into the exhibit, had her arm bitten off at the mid-bicep level, suffered serious facial injuries and suffered a punctured lung.

Tapir Attack at Zoo in Oklahoma City
 
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