World News – UA – Bears kill zookeeper in front of visitors to China wildlife park

A zookeeper in China was mutilated to death by bears this weekend in front of a bus full of visitors on a visit to Shanghai Wild Animal Park

Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident, which took place on Saturday in an area that is only accessible to the public from inside a vehicle The victim was not named but was identified by state media as an animal breeder

It was not known how or why the victim entered the area known to be home to a variety of dangerous animals, but the zoo hinted that the person was « doing work » Video showing the incident was reportedly obtained and published by the Daily Mail

The footage, which was apparently taken by someone on a nearby bus, shows a group of bears crowded into a circle near a pond section of the compound

Zoo officials have confirmed that the free zone housing the bears has been closed and said they are « extremely distressed that such a tragedy has occurred » In a statement posted online, the zoo presented apologies to visitors for « any inconvenience caused »

As videos purporting to show the deadly attack spread over Chinese social media platform Weibo over the weekend, Shanghai zoo officials pledged to improve procedures, reimburse the cost of tickets to tourists and to strengthen internal security operations

State media Global Times reported that an excavator operator who worked nearby tried unsuccessfully to scare the bears, but the animals ‘dragged’ the victim The operator waited in the vehicle until the police arrived at the scene

Video clips circulating on Chinese social media have reportedly sparked a debate over the existence and safety of zoos, with the state media tabloid reporting that many users questioned whether the zoo’s security protocols had been raped by the worker

On its website, the Shanghai Wild Animal Park says its driving section contains several species of lions, tigers, wolves, cheetahs and bears He says brown bears and black bears live together in a section reserved for buses called Bear Home

« Surprisingly, the two species coexist in harmony at home, » the zoo explains in an online description « Bears have a keen sense of smell and hearing, but poor vision Bears often amuse visitors as they are drawn to tourist buses and beg for food « 

Following the employee’s death, the company offered its condolences to the worker’s family He did not confirm when the bear enclosure would reopen « We will learn a hard lesson from the tragedy and strengthen further management of safety in all aspects, « the zoo said in a statement to China Daily, an English-speaking state media

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Zookeeper, Shanghai Animal Park, China, Shanghai Zoo, bear attack