zookeeper

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Bear Shot Dead After Attacking Zookeeper
Bear Shot Dead
at Jacksonville Zoo
Dec 23, 2022 4:56 AM CST

Bear Shot Dead at Jacksonville Zoo

Lethal weapons team was called in after it attacked zookeeper

(Newser) - A black bear at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens was shot dead by the Florida zoo's lethal weapons team after it escaped its enclosure Wednesday and attacked a staff member in an area off-limits to the public, authorities say. "An emergency radio call was initiated and our lethal...

Tiger King Zookeeper Found Dead in NYC

Erik Cowie was 53

(Newser) - A zookeeper who appeared in Tiger King—and later testified against Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic—was found dead in a New York City apartment Friday, officials say. Sources tell TMZ that 53-year-old Erik Cowie was found unresponsive in the residence's bedroom and while no drugs were found at...

As Others Watched in Horror, Tiger Attacked Zookeeper

55-year-old worker killed at Zurich Zoo in Switzerland

(Newser) - A 5-year-old Siberian tiger attacked and killed a zookeeper Saturday at Switzerland's Zurich Zoo as other staff and guests looked on in horror. The BBC reports the attack on the 55-year-old keeper happened just after 1pm local time in the tiger enclosure, where Irina, the female tiger who went...

Judge Gives 'Joe Exotic' Exactly What He Wants

Joseph Maldonado-Passage says he needs more time to argue for his lawsuit

(Newser) - A former Oklahoma zookeeper who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a murder-for-hire plot and federal wildlife violations has been granted an extra month to argue why his lawsuit challenging the convictions shouldn't be dismissed, the AP reports. Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as "Joe Exotic,"...

Tiger Zookeeper Gets 22 Years for Murder Plot

He tried to hire undercover FBI agent to kill animal sanctuary founder

(Newser) - A former Oklahoma zookeeper and one-time candidate for governor was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot and violating federal wildlife laws. A federal judge in Oklahoma City sentenced 56-year-old Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage—who is also known as "Joe Exotic"—for...

Zookeeper Was in the Tiger Habitat. So Was the Tiger

She's in stable condition after being attacked by 7-year-old male

(Newser) - A zookeeper at the Topeka Zoo is in stable condition after finding herself on the wrong end of a tiger attack early Saturday. The unnamed woman and a 7-year-old male Sumatran tiger named Sanjiv inadvertently ended up in the outdoor tiger habitat at the same time, and zoo director Brendan...

Rare White Tiger Kills Zookeeper
Rare White Tiger
Kills Zookeeper
Oct 9, 2018 5:03 AM CDT

Rare White Tiger Kills Zookeeper

He was found in a cage, bleeding from the neck

(Newser) - A rare attack from a rare tiger killed a zookeeper in Japan on Monday. Officials say 40-year-old Akira Furosho was found bleeding from the neck in a cage in the Hirakawa Zoological Park in the southern city of Kagoshima, the BBC reports. They believe he was attacked by Riku, one...

Zoo on Mauled Zookeeper: It's Her Fault

Stacey Konwiser seemingly broke the rules

(Newser) - A zookeeper killed by a Malayan tiger at the Palm Beach Zoo met her end by entering an area she should have avoided, the zoo's top official says. Stacey Konwiser, 38, who was mauled on April 15, apparently broke zoo safety rules by going inside the cat's sleeping...

Ex-Zookeeper Cleared of Love-Triangle Assault

A meerkat handler, monkey expert, and llama-keeper, oh my!

(Newser) - Finally, legal closure in a tumultuous zookeeper love triangle across the pond—and perhaps the best lead-in sentence you'll read all week: "A former meerkat expert at London Zoo was cleared Tuesday of assaulting a monkey handler in a love spat over a llama-keeper" is how the AP...

Zookeeper Love Triangle Gets Incredibly Messy

Monkey, meerkat handlers clashed over llama-keeper

(Newser) - It's the same old story: Boy meets girl, boy meets another girl, meerkat-keeper gets fired from London Zoo for attacking monkey handler. The love triangle at the zoo centered on llama-keeper Adam Davies, who started dating meerkat expert Caroline Westlake after his five-year relationship with monkey-keeper Kate Sanders ended,...

Zookeeper Killed by Charging Elephant

'Patience' had a history of aggression

(Newser) - A longtime zookeeper in southwest Missouri was killed today when he was charged by an elephant, a spokeswoman for the city of Springfield said. John Bradford, 62, died when he was attacked by an elephant inside the area at the Dickinson Park Zoo where the elephants are housed, city spokeswoman...

Wolves Kill Swedish Zookeeper
 Wolves Kill Swedish Zookeeper 
Jun 18, 2012 12:45 AM CDT

Wolves Kill Swedish Zookeeper

Woman mauled to death during morning feeding

(Newser) - A zoo worker in Sweden has been mauled to death by a pack of wolves she had looked after since they were puppies. The 30-year-old woman was attacked by eight wolves after she entered the enclosure at Kolmarden Zoo to feed them, reports the Independent . Her body was recovered by...

Escaped Gorilla Bites Buffalo Zookeeper

Worker escapes to other gorillas' enclosure

(Newser) - A quick-thinking Buffalo zookeeper locked herself in with a female gorilla and her newborn after being attacked by an escaped 400-pound silverback male. The 24-year-old gorilla, which had escaped through an unsecured door, remained in an area closed to the public. It was tranquilized by a zoo worker using a...

Lion Kills S. African Zookeeper
 Lion Kills S. African Zookeeper 
Feb 15, 2012 1:00 AM CST

Lion Kills S. African Zookeeper

Employee came out of retirement because of staff shortages

(Newser) - A Johannesburg Zoo employee who came out of retirement because of staff shortages was killed by a lioness at a breeding facility outside the city. The 63-year-old, who had nearly 40 years of experience working with animals, was attacked while feeding the lions, the BBC reports. An enclosure was found...

Bald Bears Stump German Zookeepers

Mystery condition leaves bears hairless as winter sets in

(Newser) - Zookeepers in Leipzig are scrambling to figure out why three bears have lost their fur coats. The spectacled bears, South American natives who normally have dark rings around their eyes, have gone almost completely bald just when they should be growing even thicker coats for the onset of winter. The...

Tiger Kills New Zealand Zookeeper

(Newser) - A rare white tiger mauled a New Zealand zookeeper to death today in front of stunned visitors as the man entered the animal's enclosure for cleaning, reports the Times of London. The victim just months ago fought off an attack by the same tiger at the wildlife park to save...

Knut Needed Hug: Zoo Intruder

Unidentified man scales wall to get closer to polar bear in Berlin

(Newser) - A German man says he climbed over a Berlin Zoo barrier today because the polar bear needed a hug, Bloomberg reports. The unidentified man, 37, apparently believed the animal—which drew 3.2 million visitors last year—was lonely. “He wanted to keep Knut company,” police said. Knut,...

Panda Bites Hand, Er, Leg, That Feeds It

Visitor to Hong Kong zoo captures attack on tape

(Newser) - A giant panda bit the left leg of a Hong Kong zookeeper while he was laying bamboo leaves in the animal's pen, reports the AP. The keeper was recovering well after the panda attack, which was partially captured and posted on YouTube by a zoo visitor. The panda—a male...

Heart Attack Killed Knut-Keeper
 Heart Attack Killed Knut-Keeper 
Sep 23, 2008 1:34 PM CDT

Heart Attack Killed Knut-Keeper

Autopsy rules out foul play

(Newser) - Berlin prosecutors said an autopsy today showed that Thomas Doerflein, the zookeeper who gained fame for hand-rearing the polar bear cub Knut, died of a heart attack. The city's mayor paid tribute to him for writing Berlin history. "Other causes of death, in particular involvement by another party, are...

Knut's Surrogate Dad Dead at 44

Police doubt foul play in death of Dörflein, long ill

(Newser) - Thomas Dörflein, the Berlin zookeeper who raised polar bear Knut after his mother rejected him, was found dead in his apartment today, Der Spiegel reports. He was 44. Authorities said there was no evidence of foul play; Dörflein had been very sick. The keeper’s contact with Knut...

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