A zoo employee is dead after being fatally attacked by a tiger while he was cleaning the animal’s cage, officials in Romania are reporting.
City officials posted on social media that the attack took place in the morning hours Monday in the city of Pitesti, a city in the southcentral region of Romania.
A preliminary investigation by police revealed the 52-year-old victim, an employee of Pitesti Zoo, entered the tiger’s cage without complying with safety protocol and was fatally attacked, according to the release.
USA TODAY Network file photo of a tiger in a zoo
The employee had worked at the zoo since 2015, officials announced. It was the first such attack in 50 years at the zoo.
Officials said an internal investigation is underway.
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The city’s mayor, Cristian Gentea shared thoughts with he victim’s family in a post on his Facebook page, adding that he ordered a pause on activities at the zoo while the investigation is carried out.
Witnesses told Romanian outlet Evenimentul Zilei the attack was extremely violent, and a criminal case for manslaughter has been opened by local police.
Zoo leaders and workers were deeply affected by the incident, officials wrote in the news release.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tiger kills employee at Romania zoo while he was cleaning cage
