HAMERTON ZOO WHERE ROSA KING WAS MAULED HAD BEEN WARNED

HAMERTON ZOO WHERE ROSA KING WAS MAULED HAD BEEN WARNED



The zoo where a keeper was mauled to death by a tiger had been warned about its escape procedures and 'ageing barriers' four years ago, it has been revealed.

Hamerton Zoo, where carnivore keeper Rosa King was killed yesterday in a 'freak accident', was criticised by inspectors following a visit in 2013.

A report raised concerns that the park, in Cambridgeshire, did not have escape protocols in place for specific animals.

Communication systems in place in case of an emergency were also questioned, as were the park's 'ageing' and 'damaged' perimeter fencing.



Documents seen by the Daily Telegraph called for action to be taken over the barriers and fencing within three months.

It comes as friends of Miss King, 33, described her as 'inspirational' and spoke of how she enjoyed working with her 'beloved cats' at the zoo.

Her heartbroken mother Andrea said earlier today her daughter was dedicated to her job and said: 'She wouldn't have done anything else, it's what she has always done, it's what she has always loved.'

Friends and colleagues described her as the 'shining light' of the attraction and added she 'WAS the zoo'.

Rosie Dore wrote on Facebook: 'R.I.P dear lady you truly loved and trusted this beautiful creature and knew the risks.



'I hope this tiger will not be punished as it is a wild animal and this sweet lady would not want that. My heart is breaking such a sad situation.

Dagmara Nazaruk added: 'Why they should put him down? It's not a dog that attack human it's a wild animal that should live free. RIP Rosa but I'm sure she would not want him to put down.'

Tiger enthusiast Russ Neve, who knew Miss King, added: 'At the end of the day, it's a wild animal and only acted as it would have done. Accidents can happen.

'Plus I'm pretty sure Rosa wouldn't even think of it.

'The tigers at Hamerton had been bred in captivity in Germany and brought over when they were very young, and it seemed Rosa had known them since they were cubs.



'Hamerton is a lovely, zoo. It is small and friendly, and the staff were very helpful and professional.

'This is why I'm so shocked by what has happened. It is a tragic accident.'

Witnesses said they heard 'blood-curdling screams' from the enclosure as more than 100 visitors were evacuated when 'all hell broke loose' amid rumours the tiger had escaped.

The 33-year-old's colleagues desperately tried to save her by distracting the big cat with chunks of meat, witnesses said.

The zoo opened a new enclosure for its Malaysian tigers in July last year.

The park is home to Bengal tigers Shiva and Mohan and Malaysian tigers Cicip and Sahaja.

Two Bengal tigers, Blizzard and Ladybelle, who arrived in 2001 from a circus in Belgium, died in March this year and June 2016 respectively.



Meanwhile an animal expert said the tiger attack would likely have lasted less than 30 seconds and would have been 'over by the time staff reacted' because tigers are so powerful.

Pete Wedderburn told the Mirror: 'The whole sequence of events would be less than half a minute. By the time they [the staff] realised a crisis was happening it would have all been over.'

Mr Wedderburn told the paper a tranquiliser dart would likely have taken minutes to work, meaning it would not have been enough to save Miss King, although keepers could have killed the beast with 'a high velocity rifle'.

But he added: 'You can't have keepers doing work in a zoo with high-powered rifles on every corner.'

Witness Pete Davis said he believed Miss King was attacked after rushing to help a colleague in the tiger enclosure.

He said: 'There's no doubting it was a girl's scream and something terrible had happened. It sounds like a tiger turned on her.

'She had run into the enclosure after hearing one of her colleagues shouting and moments later all  hell let loose.

'She let out a blood-curdling scream and then another keeper ran out and shouted 'run'.

'It was a case of total panic. There were keepers rushing about throwing buckets of meat to try and get the tigers under control.'



Footage today emerged of Miss King telling a TV interviewer how she believed keeping captive animals in zoos was not cruel.

In the interview, filmed last year, she was asked if it was cruel to keep animals in zoos.

'My personal opinion is it's not,' Miss King replied in the clip.

She said: 'We do a lot of work for conservation, a lot of breeding to try and save the species, just like the Malayan tiger here.

'There's only about 300 left in the world and they're being poached. At least they're safe here and we can work on increasing the numbers.'



Miss King's friend, wildlife photographer Garry Chisholm, said last night: 'I have lost a very dear friend who loved the animals in her care very much.

'I would like to say more but I am struggling to take in this news at