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Investigation presumes fatal Zurich tiger mauling was an accident

The Local
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Investigation presumes fatal Zurich tiger mauling was an accident
A Siberian tiger in Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, JOE KLAMAR / AFP

Zurich Zoo announced that a tiger who fatally attacked a zookeeper will not be euthanised, while a preliminary investigation has concluded that the woman’s death was an accident.

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Irina, the Siberian tiger who killed a zookeeper at Zurich Zoo on Saturday, will not be destroyed. Zoo staff told Swiss media that the tiger was acting territorially and on instinct when it killed the 55-year-old zookeeper. 

As a result, the tiger would be spared, Swiss media outlet Le Temps reported

Authorities investigating the death have presumed that it was accidental, while they are seeking more information as to the circumstances of the attack. 

At the time of the attack, the zookeeper was in a prohibited part of the big cats enclosure reserved purely for animals. 

READ: Tiger kills zookeeper in Zurich 

Zurich Zoo’s big cat policy requires that tigers and zookeepers are kept separate at all times. 

Authorities have asked for witnesses who may have been near the tiger enclosure between 1 and 1:30pm on Saturday to give an indication of what may have happened and why the experienced zookeeper was in the restricted area. 

Witnesses have been asked to contact the police via phone at 0 444 117 117.

The zoo was closed on Sunday after the incident but was reopened on Monday. 

Irina has been moved to a separate enclosure while the investigation continues. 

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