Tiger Kills Zoo Janitor in ‘Extremely Violent’ Attack After He Leaves Security Door Open: Reports

A zoo janitor has reportedly been killed by a tiger at Pitești Zoo in Romania.

The man, 52, entered the tiger’s enclosure to clean it on the morning of Monday, Dec. 9 and was tragically killed when he did not follow the correct safety procedures, according to Romanian newspaper Adevărul. 

Judicial sources added that the man was killed after the tiger “bit him on the head,” the outlet added, per a translation from the original Romanian.

According to the zoo’s safety advice, the tiger should have been moved to a high-fenced cage behind a security door before the man started cleaning its enclosure. However, Adevărul reported that the janitor forgot to lower the security door, which allowed the animal to return while he was still inside it.

“Unfortunately, this deviation led to a fatal attack by the animal,” a representative from the Pitești City Hall told Adevărul. “Currently, an internal investigation is underway at the Zoo to establish the exact circumstances of the incident and any necessary measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.”

Police confirmed to U.K. newspaper The Sun that the worker, “did not respect [security procedures], he forgot to close the safety door, the tiger entered back in his cage and bite him from the head.”

Meanwhile, witnesses told Romanian outlet Evenimentul Zilei that that incident was “extremely violent,” and that a criminal case for manslaughter has been opened by local police, according to a translation from the original Romanian.

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“The investigations are being continued by the police officers from the Pitești Criminal Investigation Bureau in order to establish all the circumstances surrounding the event,” the Arges County Police said, per the outlet.

The mayor of Pitești said that this is the first time in 50 years an incident like this had occurred, added Evenimentul Zilei. 

“It is a huge loss, and our thoughts go out to the victim’s family and all his loved ones in these moments of pain,” the official continued.

“It is our responsibility to protect the lives of everyone who works there and also to ensure the welfare of the animals.”

“I have ordered the temporary suspension of activities at the Zoo in order to conduct a thorough investigation,” the mayor concluded. “We will take all necessary measures to prevent other tragedies of this kind.”