Topeka Zoo tiger attack: Female Trainer in Critical State

KANSAS: A female trainer at Topeka Zoo is in a critical state after being attacked by a tiger.

The female zookeeper was attacked by a male Samatran tiger named Sanjiv.

The incident Topeka Zoo tiger attack took place early Saturday morning around 9.30 a.m local time.

The zoo worker was attacked in front of terrified visitors as the Zoo had just opened.

The Topeka Capital-Journal has reported Sanjiv attacked the zoo worker in a secured, indoor space.

According to Topeka Zoo director Brendan Wiley, the trainer was taken in an ambulance to the hospital. He also said she was awake and alert when she was taken but he did not know the extent of injuries caused by the Topeka Zoo tiger attack.

The zookeeper’s name has not been released.

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City spokeswoman Molly Hadfield says the zoo was open at the time of the attack and was witnessed by some people.

The zoo reopened about 45 minutes after the attack.

The male Samatran tiger Sanjiv came to the Topeka Zoo in August 2017 from a zoo in Akron, Ohio.

The Zoo administration have said they will not euthanize the tiger that attacked the female trainer.

City of Topeka spokeswoman Molly Hadfield

City of Topeka spokeswoman Molly Hadfield said they are still evaluating the situation. She also said the endangered tigers will not be punished.

The trainer is in critical condition at the local hospital as per the last update.

The Zoo was temporarily closed but opened again after 45 minutes around 11 am.

All the tigers are pulled from public enclosure and they will remain inside for the day.

Wiley has told reporters the zookeeper suffered “lacerations and punctures to the back of the head, neck, back and one arm,”

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