Rosa Kingâs mother has paid tribute to her daughter, who was killed in a âfreak accidentâ at Hamerton Zoo Park after a tiger entered the enclosure she was in on Monday.
Andrea King said her 34-year-old daughter âalways lovedâ her job as a zookeeper, adding: She wouldnât have done anything else, itâs what she has always done.â
Police were called to the zoo in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, at 11.15am to reports of a serious incident yesterday.
A Magpas air ambulance was on the scene 20 minutes later and visitors were evacuated from the attraction shortly before midday.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary said the tiger involved is believed to be fine as concerns were raised on social media over what would happen to the animal.
Witnesses said they heard a âblood-curdling screamâ as staff tried to distract the big cat with meat in an effort to save the zookeeper.
âWe heard a girl screaming and another one said ârun to us,â so we found a small room and stayed there until it was safe to leave,â Pete Davies, 55, told Cambridge News.
âThe zoo keepers had their heads in their hands, and didnât know what to do, throwing meat over the enclosure to entice the tiger away. They shouted stuff.â
He added: âIt was a case of total panic. People were really scared, they asked us to leave straight after that and closed the park.â
The zoo said the incident appeared to be a âfreak accidentâ.
The zoo said in a statement: âA full investigation is currently under way and we hope that more details can be announced as soon as we are able.
âAt no point during the incident did any animals escape their enclosures, and at no point was public safety affected in any way.
âAll our thoughts and sympathies are with our colleagues, friends and families at this dreadful time.â
Cambridgeshire Constabulary confirmed that no animal escaped from their enclosure at any time during the incident.
The force added: âThe incident is not believed to be suspicious.â
The zoo, which is home to about 500 animals including monkeys, cheetahs, raccoons, sloth and tigers, confirmed it would remain closed on Tuesday while the investigation continues.
Wildlife photographer Garry Chisholm paid tribute to King on his Facebook page, which has more than 44,000 followers.
Chisholm said he was âdeeply saddenedâ to hear of the zookeeperâs death, adding âRosa wasnât just a keeper at Hamerton Zoo â she was Hamerton Zooâ.
He wrote: âHer passion for the animals in her care was exceptional though her favourites were undoubtedly the cheetahs which she would refer to as her pride and joy.â
He said he was privileged to have known King, adding that she would be âgreatly missedâ.
Wildlife expert Steve Backshall said that tigers are solitary animals who live and hunt alone in the wild, adding that small enclosures may cause âartificial stressesâ for the large cats.
âIn the wild, theyâll have enormous home ranges and rarely come into contact with other tigers,â he told the BBC.
âAnd in captivity, quite often theyâll be kept in relatively small enclosures with other tigers, and thereâs no doubt that could cause artificial stresses within those enclosed populations.
âA wild tiger could range over 1500 sq miles (3,885 sq km) - obviously you could never have a zoo that size.â
It is not yet known how large the tigerâs enclosure at Hamerton Zoo was, or how many animals lived there.
Eyewitness Jeff Knott, from Cambridgeshire, said staff had been âa real creditâ to the zoo during the evacuation.
The 32-year-old told the Press Association: âWe had been in the zoo since about 10.30am and heard/seen nothing until asked to leave about 11.45am.
âStaff were very calm and professional. All visitors around us were leaving in a very calm manner - no running, shouting or anything similar.â
Antonia Brickell from Magpas air ambulance denied reports that visitors had been ârunning in terrorâ, adding: âThe visitors were safely evicted from the zoo.
âNo animals escaped the enclosure, no children were injured.â
She also confirmed that the incident was not terrorism-related.
An East of England Ambulance Service paramedic crew and two rapid response vehicles also attended.
In 2008 a nine-year-old boy found a cheetah in his garden after the animal escaped from Hamerton Zoo.
At the time the zoo tried to play down the incident, claiming the big cat, named Akea, was as tame as a âpet dogâ.
Four years ago, Sarah McClay died after being mauled by a Sumatran tiger at South Lakes Safari Zoo in Cumbria.
The zoo was fined ÂŁ255,000 at Preston Crown Court in June last year following the 24-year-old employeeâs death in May 2013.
It received an additional ÂŁ42,500 fine after it also pleaded guilty to other health and safety law breaches when a zookeeper fell from a ladder while preparing to feed big cats in July 2014.
Last October ZSL London Zoo was put on lockdown after Kumbuka the silverback gorilla managed to exit his enclosure through two security doors that had been left unlocked by a keeper.
Armed police were called to the central London attraction and visitors were evacuated when the alarm was raised following the apeâs bid for freedom shortly after 5pm on October 13.
It follows the death of endangered gorilla Harambe, who was widely mourned after he was shot when a three-year-old boy fell into his Cincinnati Zoo enclosure in May 2016.