1 August 2012
Information revealed about José Silva Saldías, the zookeeper at the Santiago Metropolitan Zoo who was attacked by a white tiger last Sunday, casts doubts over the circumstances surrounding the recent tragedy.
Last Sunday, Silva entered the cage of “Pampa,” a white tiger and one of the zoo’s most prized felines. Silva, who has over 25 years over experience in his job, was attempting to feed the animal when things went awry and Pampa attacked the zookeeper. Pampa was then put down by zoo authorities in order to prevent the feline from mauling Silva.
The decision to end the animal’s life ignited passionate complaints from the general public and several animal rights groups, who protested at the zoo on Sunday night.
New information unearthed from zoo records reveals a troubling episode in the zookeeper’s past. In 2002, the zoo opened a court investigation concerning the escape and subsequent death of a puma. In 2003, Silva was sanctioned for the incident, along with six other people. The zookeeper was docked ten percent of his paycheck.
“Ten years ago, Silva was sanctioned for a failure to follow protocol as well as excessive confidence in his relationship with the animal,” stated Mauricio Fabry, director of the Metropolitan Zoo yesterday. However, Fabry explained that Silva had not been on the premises during the puma’s escape; he was merely part of a larger investigation.
Fabry assured the public that the zoo would investigate last Sunday’s incident meticulously, as it led to the death of one of Chile’s most beloved animals.
“The zoo has a very clear protocol, a system that activates cage doors from the outside. A zookeeper does not need to come into contact with a dangerous animal,” Silva explained.
According to protocol, all dangerous animals at the zoo remain confined while their cages are cleaned or their food is brought in. Zookeepers rarely come into direct contact with them.
The zoo director reiterated the inevitability of the animal’s death. “When there is an emergency at the zoo, we have the option to anesthetize the animal, and our zoo is fully equipped to do so. We will only shoot an animal in dire circumstances, when a life is at stake,” Fabry said. “Unfortunately, with José Silva, this was the case. We had to act fast.”
Marcela Tirado, head of the Animal Health Unit of the Metropolitan Zoo, explained that when zoo authorities found Silva, the feline was directly on top of him. Anesthetizing Pampa was not an option, as the weight of the tiger’s body would have crushed Silva.
Silva remains stable in the trauma section of the intensive care unit at the Santiago Workers’ Hospital, as he suffered a fracture to the right shoulder. His other injures are being assessed, but he will most likely need surgery in the next couple of days.
