The owner of a Rotorua wildlife park says a tragedy like the one in Whangarei would never happen at his park. Paradise Valley Springs owner Stuart Hamlett said he was shocked to hear a keeper at Whangarei's Zion Wildlife Park had been mauled to death by a tiger. He said he couldn'tcomment on what happened - but said Paradise Valley Springs was regulated by MAF and was subject to strict safety regulations. "MAF do an inspection once a year and we also conduct our own rigorous safety inspections regularly." He said the lions could get aggressive but they had respect for the keepers who worked at the park. "They are like any animal, they can get protective when there are cubs around, or when a female is in heat." Mr Hamlett said the keepers at the park were protected by several safety measures. "The enclosures are secured by double-locked gates and there is an electric fence on the inside of the enclosure, which the lions respect." He said the Rotorua park was home to lions since 1978 and they had not had any attacks on keepers. Mr Hamlett said he wouldn't like to comment on what happened in Whangarei as he didn't know about the park's safety procedures. "It is really hard to comment on something like that. I don't know what happens there."
Police said the keeper suffered injuries to the abdomen and lower leg, which were received by tearing by a big cat. Two keepers had gone into the white tiger enclosure about 11am yesterday when one of the two tigers in the enclosure attacked a male keeper. Despite the best efforts of the second keeper and a rapid response from other park staff, the tiger would not let the park worker go and he died at the scene. The tiger was destroyed. Police and OSH staff are investigating the incident, believed to have been witnessed by a group of eight overseas tourists. MAF and the coroner have also been advised. There have been two previous reported attacks at the zoo, which houses 42 rare lions and tigers. Additional reporting APN News & Media
