Dutch zookeeper dies after leopard mauling

A keeper at Beekse Bergen Safari Park in the southern Netherlands died Tuesday, days after being mauled in a leopard enclosure, the zoo said.

The woman was attacked while caring for two Persian leopards in an indoor facility. The animals were inside because of bad weather, and staff are usually kept away from the leopards.

The zoo said it is not clear exactly what happened because there are no cameras in the enclosure. Local media reported that the keeper suffered serious injuries to her head and neck and underwent emergency surgery.

The zoo said the keeper had started working at the safari park at age 17 and had worked there, with a few short interruptions, for nearly 40 years.

Beekse Bergen said an independent investigation will be launched to establish the circumstances of the incident. A park spokesperson told Omroep Brabant that the leopards were behaving naturally, saying: "They are, and remain, predators."