Fla. zoo defends decision not to kill tiger who attacked keeper
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A Florida zoo is defending its decision to tranquilize rather than kill a rare Malayan tiger that had attacked a keeper and was preventing rescuers from giving her aid.
Palm Beach Zoo President Andrew Aiken told a news conference Thursday that rescuers feared a bullet could ricochet off the steel and concrete enclosure and strike keeper Stacey Konwiser, whom the animal was standing over after the April 15 attack.
Aiken also said if the bullet didn't instantly kill the animal, he may have attacked the 38-year-old keeper again. It took about 11 minutes to fully sedate the animal. Konwiser was taken to the hospital, where she died.
Aiken said it remains unknown why the veteran zookeeper entered the enclosure when she knew the tiger was inside.
Palm Beach Zoo CEO Andrew Aiken said in a statement posted Friday on Facebook that zoo policy prohibits zookeepers from entering an enclosure to which a tiger has access.
"We have no indication as to why she entered the tiger enclosure," said Aiken. "Stacey was extremely knowledgeable and keenly aware of the strength, stealth and quickness of a mature Malayan tiger."
Aiken said Konwiser entered the part of the night house "after it was clearly designated as accessible by a tiger."
Aiken said five investigations are under way into the incident.
The zoo's Facebook page says "zookeepers are never to enter into an enclosure when a tiger is present or has access to the enclosure."
After the incident, Palm Beach Zoo spokesperson Naki Carter said Konwiser -- whose husband is also a zookeeper at the zoo -- inspired others by her dedication to these animal and desire to keep them from going extinct.
"She was a tiger person," Carter said. "Stacey spoke a language it seemed and they spoke a language with her, that was a dialogue that only they understood."
Documents released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission dating back to 1990 reveal other tiger incidents at the zoo.
CBS affilaite WPEC in West Palm reported that documents show an February 1990 in which a hired maintenance man got attacked by a monkey. The monkey bit the worker on the back of his hand.
In February 2008, a tiger at the Palm Beach Zoo bit the tip of the finger of a zookeeper. Susie Nuttall and another employee, according to the report, were training two male tigers, Mata and Rimba, in the night house, the same place Konwiser died.
The tigers were in separate cages when Nuttall was nipped by Mata as she fed the animal a reward. Nuttall, who had eight months of experience at the zoo, needed stitches to close the wound. The zoo, according to the report, no longer allowed hand feeding.
In May 2011, investigators said a maintenance worker entered a restricted area to retrieve a DVD. One of the tigers jumped on the mesh of the enclosure and caused minor injuries to the worker's back.
The zoo was last inspected in January. No violations were found.