Keeper Deaths

I saw a list once, of the 20 most dangerous proffesions. Zookeeper, wasn't one of them.
Still got some exemples though:

Country: South Africa
Zoo: Zion Wildlife Gardens
Year: 2009
Circumstance: An experienced big cat handler who previously saved a fellow game-keeper from a tiger attack was himself fatally mauled at the zoo made famous by the "Lion Man" television show.

Country: Venezuela
Zoo: Caracas Zoo
Year: 2008
Circumstance: A 10-foot Burmese Python killed a student zookeeper in Caracas on the weekend and was caught trying to swallow its dead human prey when horrified coworkers arrived.

Country: Germany
Zoo: Berlin Tierpark
Year: 2007
Circumstance: A female zookeeper was trampled to death by a musk ox.

Country: United States
Zoo: Seaworld Orlando
Year: 2010
Circumstance: Animal trainer Dawn Brancheau of Seaworld in Orlando, Florida, was fatally attacked while performing with a killer whale.

Country: Canaric Islands
Zoo: Loro Parque
Year: 2009
Circumstance: During a kille whale show, one of the animal trainers was pulled down under water and drowned.

Country: United States
Zoo: The Safari's Wildlife Sanctuary in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (I know it's not a zoo, but still very interesting)
Year: 2008
Circumstance: Peter Getz, experienced animal handler, was killed by a liger. The liger bit him on the neck and the back before he was rushed to a hospital.

Country: Japan
Zoo: Fuji Safari Park
Year: 2005
Circumstance: A Japanese zookeeper was killed and another was injured after a brown bear attacked them. He was pronounced dead at a hospital from blood loss, police said. He had suffered injuries to his head and left leg.
 
Parrotsandrew said:
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.
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I was cycling to work this morning (running late as usual) and thinking about ZooChat, when "Mark Aitken" popped into my head. I think that was the gentleman's name, so I was wrong where the "H" was concerned.

Douglas Robertson was killed by the African Elephant Ben (short for Ebeni?) at Savage World (in English per the newspaper reports), Belgium in 1995. The animal subsequently went to Howletts I believe.

An interesting read is "Elephant Tramp" (1955) by George "Slim" Lewis who worked with Elephants in American circuses and zoos. It includes a photograph, taken by a visitor, of the Asiatic bull "Ziggy" trying to kill the author at Brookfield Zoo. He survived because the animal had driven his tusks so hard into the ground aiming for his keeper that it took him a moment to free them, allowing "Slim" Lewis the opportunity to stand up and shout at his charge who was taken by surprise.
 
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country:ivory coast
zoo: unknown
year unknown

keeper who worked with crocodiles for 36 years killed by adult caiman
 
i believe howletts and port lyme both work no contact with there elephants.

on the subject of keeper deaths the was a wolf keeper killed last year a tiger keeper this year both somehwere in europe. and i believe a elephant keeper was killed in fiji and another in new zealand was put in a criritical condition by a young bull.

there was also a keeper killed by a giant ant eater i believe

Details about the wolf keeper

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-phillips/wolves-kill-keeper-at-swe_b_1606309.html

tiger keeper at cologne

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ped-enclosure-gate-wasnt-closed-properly.html

Anteater one was 2007
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/17/anteater_attack/
 
Bronx Zoo
1985
A keeper cleaning the Amur Tiger exhibit was mauled by two of the big cats.
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo
1993
Back when the zoo had Asian Elephants and used free contact, a female elephant knocked a female keeper down and stomped her head.
 
epickoala123 said:
country:ivory coast
zoo: unknown
year unknown

keeper who worked with crocodiles for 36 years killed by adult caiman
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this is my favourite one. An unknown keeper in an unknown zoo in an unknown year. At least the species is there :D
 
Zion Wildlife Gardens is in New Zealand not South Africa.

The attack happened on Dalu Mncube on 27 May 2009. He was killed by a white male tiger named Abu.

The Coroner's inquest was only a month or so back. He has not at this stage come back with his findings on Dalu's death:)
 
bloodycurtus said:
on the subject of keeper deaths the was a wolf keeper killed last year a tiger keeper this year both somehwere in europe. and i believe a elephant keeper was killed in fiji and another in new zealand was put in a criritical condition by a young bull.
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-Presumably the elephant keeper was on holiday in Fiji, as there are no elephants there, so that wouldn't really count as a keeper death.
-There are only female elephants in NZ, and one did kill a female keeper earlier this year. The incident you are referring to was at Taronga Zoo, Australia.
 
zooboy28 said:
-Presumably the elephant keeper was on holiday in Fiji, as there are no elephants there, so that wouldn't really count as a keeper death.
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the NZ/Aus circuses used to tour Fiji and probably other Pacific Islands(Jumbo/Mila, for example, toured Fiji several times I believe). I don't know the circumstances or veracity of the claim here though.

A very quick google search found nothing on Fiji (which means nothing) but I did find one in Hawaii in 1994: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyke_(elephant)
Tyke (1974 – August 20, 1994) was a female circus elephant who on August 20, 1994, in Honolulu, Hawaii, killed her trainer, Allen Campbell, and gored her groomer Dallas Beckwith causing severe injuries during a Circus International performance before hundreds of horrified spectators at the Neal Blaisdell Center. Tyke then bolted from the arena and ran through downtown streets of Kakaako for more than thirty minutes. Police fired 86 shots at Tyke, who eventually collapsed from the wounds and died.
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Parrotsandrew said:
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.
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You're absolutely right. Mark Aitken was his name and was, in fact, the young brother of George Jacob's wife, Joanna. He was only 20.
 
I was at Bristol's Wild Place the other day and I overhead a visitor tell his girlfriend that zebras kill more keepers than any other animal. I've read through this thread and not one mention of a zebra so far.
 
Ned said:
I was at Bristol's Wild Place the other day and I overhead a visitor tell his girlfriend that zebras kill more keepers than any other animal. I've read through this thread and not one mention of a zebra so far.
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I have never heard of a Zebra attacking a keeper, let alone killing one. But I have heard of Axis deer being responsible for deaths- in Europe in the past, but have no references.
 
A lot of these deaths were caused by elephants which is why lots of zoos have them in protected contact. They are regarded as code red or dangerous animals, and some zoos *cough cough* Pittsburgh *cough cough* still have them in free contact which I find ridiculous
 
Here's a few I found that I don't think have been mentioned:

Country: Sweden
Zoo: Orsa Rovdjurspark
Year: 2017
Circumstance: 19-year-old keeper killed while showing visitors the bear enclosure, which was supposed to be empty. Teenage zookeeper killed by bear in Sweden - Radio Sweden

Country: Mexico
Zoo: Nicolas Bravo Zoo
Year: 2018
Circumstance: Keeper forgot to shut gate separating feeding and sleeping areas in the lion enclosure, was killed while cleaning. Mexican zookeeper forgot to shut gate before killed by lion

Country: New Zealand
Zoo: Hamilton Zoo
Year: 2015
Circumstance: Zoo Curator killed by older female tiger. Keeper killed by tiger at Hamilton Zoo

Country: India
Zoo: Bannerghatta Biological Park Zoo
Year: 2017
Circumstance: Killed by an 18-month-old white tiger while cleaning up after feeding. A sibling joined in after the keeper was dead. Horror as zookeeper mauled to death by white tigers while he cleaned their enclosure

Country: China
Zoo: Fuzhou Zoo
Year: 2018
Circumstance: Keeper tilled by former circus tiger during training.

Country: United States
Zoo: Lincoln Park Zoo
Year: 1945
Circumstance: Worked killed by black bear while cleaning cage.

Country: United States
Zoo: San Diego Zoo
Year: 1942
Circumstance: Animal trainer attacked (killed?) by Himalayan brown bear.

Country: United States
Zoo: Denver Zoo
Year: 1934
Circumstance: Keeper attacked by two grizzlies after spraying them with hose.

Country: United States
Zoo: John Ball Zoo
Year: 1985
Circumstance: Jaguar opened automatic door and killed pregnant keeper. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/12/13/Cage-door-blamed-in-fatal-jaguar-attack/1337503298000/

Country: United States
Zoo: Denver Zoo
Year: 2007
Circumstance: Jaguar got into employee access hallway and killed keeper.

Country: South Africa
Zoo: ??
Year: ??
Circumstance: Retired keeper returned to help cover staff shortages, was attacked and killed by 11 year old lion during feeding. Security gates had been left open.

Country: China
Zoo: Yeshanko Wildlife Zoo
Year: 2016
Circumstance: Idiot jumped into Walrus pool to get a selfie. Both he and the keeper who tried to rescue him were drowned.

Country: United States
Zoo: Miami MetroZoo
Year: 2016
Circumstance: Keeper didn’t see/ignored sign saying a tiger was in the paddock when arriving in the morning; tiger left out attacked when he opened the gate. Keeper had suffered a head injury from a rhino 4 days before and had been having vision problems, sleep issues as a result. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article72217807.html

Country: United States
Zoo: Knowland Park Zoo
Year: 1991
Circumstance: Elephant attacked and killed handler

Country: United States
Zoo: San Antonio
Year: 1992
Circumstance: Elephant lifted keeper with trunk and slammed him down, killing him

Country: United States
Zoo: Lowry Park
Year: 1993
Circumstance: Elephant swatted handler to the ground with its trunk, kicked her in the head

Country: United States
Zoo: Pittsburgh
Year: 2002
Circumstance: Elephant pinned handler to ground during walk, killing him

Country: United States
Zoo: Knoxville Zoo
Year: 2011
Circumstance: Employee pushed into stall by elephant

Country: United States
Zoo: Dickerson Park
Year: 2013
Circumstance: Elephant killed keeper
 
Country: Austria
Zoo: Vienna
Date: 05.03.2002
Circumstance: 21-year old female keeper was killed by three Jaguars, as she prepared their food (security gate was left open)

Country: Germany
Zoo: Duisburg
Date: 03.07.1961
Circumstance: Experienced keeper was attacked by the male wart hog during the feeding. The wart hog hits the Aorta of his upper leg and he bled to death.

Country: Germany
Zoos: Münster & Cologne
Dates: Sept. 2013 & Aug. 2012
Circumstance: Experienced keepers forgot to close the safety gates and get killed by the zoo´s male tigers.

Countries: Austria / Netherlands
Zoos: Vienna & Beekse Bergen
Dates: 2005 & 2003
Circumstance: Elephants (bull in Vienna / cow in Beekse) killed their keepers.
 
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