Primary source: Dit weten we over de aanval van de panter op verzorgster in Beekse Bergen

A keeper at Safaripark Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek, in the southern Netherlands, died Tuesday from injuries suffered Saturday in an indoor enclosure with two male Persian leopards, the park said^1,3,4,5.

The park, speaking with her family, said she started there at 17 and had worked on and off for nearly 40 years^1,3,4,5. CNN, citing Dutch public broadcaster NOS, said she had worked with the leopards for eight years and was alone in the enclosure when she was attacked³.

Omroep Brabant reported she was found Saturday morning in the indoor quarters used by the male cats, with serious wounds to her head and neck⁵. She was still able to speak and used a walkie-talkie to call colleagues; an ambulance and a trauma helicopter were sent around 11 a.m. local time^3,4,5.

She had emergency surgery the same day^1,5. The Independent and CNN, drawing on the park, said her condition worsened Sunday evening^3,4. Omroep Brabant said she was kept sedated and not communicative on Sunday, and that she died Tuesday morning⁵.

The park said it is not clear exactly what happened because there are no cameras inside the enclosure^1,3,5. Staff are not normally in the same space as the predators^1,2,4,5. The cats had been brought indoors because of weather; Omroep Brabant identified the storm as Austen, which had passed overnight, and said it was not clear whether the keeper knew they were inside^1,5,6.

Omroep Brabant said keepers usually work in pairs but enter dangerous enclosures separately so two people cannot open doors at once, and that this part of the protocol appeared to have been followed⁶. The Independent said an investigation is examining why she was in the enclosure with the animals⁴.

Both the park and the Dutch Labour Inspectorate opened inquiries, Omroep Brabant reported; the park also said it would launch an independent investigation^1,5. A park spokesperson told Omroep Brabant the animals had shown natural predator behavior and would not be euthanized^1,2,5. The cats have been returned to outdoor care as usual, according to the park via NOS and Omroep Brabant^3,5.

The keeper was not named, which The Independent attributed to Dutch privacy law⁴. Beekse Bergen asked for privacy for her relatives and staff and said it would set up a place for condolences; the park remains open to visitors, who can tour more than 100 species by foot, car, bus or boat^1,3,5.