FWC: Prior Incidents With Tigers Before Death Of Zookeeper
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WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami) -- The death of a zookeeper by a tiger last week was not the first time the cats were involved in an incident at the Palm Beach Zoo, according to Florida wildlife officials.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released documents this week on the past cases, according to the Palm Beach Post.
In May 2011, a 40-year old maintenance worker entered a restricted area to get a DVD player used during a news conference. That's when he slipped and fell against the mesh cage and one of the tigers scratched his back. He did not tell the zoo about this for two days.
In another instance, in February 2008, a tiger nipped the finger of a 25-year old keeper during a training session on how to eat a treat from an open palm.
Following that incident, the zoo was not allowed to hand feed animals by hand while protocol was being re-evaluated.
The release of the documents comes as several agencies are investigating the death of 37-year old Stacey Konwiser who was killed during an encounter with one of three Malayan tigers on Friday. Konwiser was in the night house where the tigers are usually brought in to sleep or eat.
As of Tuesday evening, it was unknown what she was doing in the night house and how she came in close contact with the tiger.
The zoo was closed down over the weekend following the deadly incident and reopened Monday.