Florida zoo says mauled tiger keeper broke rules before death
The Florida zookeeper mauled to death by a tiger was attacked after she broke zoo rules and entered the animal’s pen, the zoo said.
Stacey Konwiser, the Palm Beach Zoo’s “Tiger Whisperer” who was killed on April 15, went into the tiger enclosure while the big cats still roamed within — a direct violation of facility policy, the zoo said in a statement.
“The question is: why did a deeply talented and experienced Zookeeper, fully aware of the presence of a tiger and knowledgeable of our safety protocols, enter a tiger enclosure into which a tiger had access?” the zoo’s President and CEO Andrew Aiken said in a statement.
The 38-year-old tiger enthusiast went into the tiger night house — the enclosure where the cats sleep that is not in public view — even though it was “clearly designated” as being accessible by the tigers, the zoo said.