JERUSALEM (BN24) — A zookeeper at Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo was killed Friday morning after being mauled by a tiger that escaped from its enclosure during a behind-the-scenes tour, authorities said.
Uriel Nuri, 36, who headed the zoo’s carnivore team, suffered fatal injuries to his upper body in the attack and was rushed to the trauma unit at Hadassah University Hospital-Ein Kerem. Despite extensive efforts by medical staff, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“After prolonged resuscitation efforts, the team was forced to declare him dead,” Hadassah Medical Center said in a statement. “The hospital staff is accompanying his family at this difficult time and shares in their grief.”
According to the zoo, the incident occurred as staff prepared a routine enrichment activity for the tigers while visitors observed from behind a protective glass barrier. During the preparation, a tiger broke free from its enclosure into an inner courtyard and attacked Nuri.
“The tragic event occurred this morning, when during a routine activity to prepare the tigers for enrichment, which took place as part of a behind-the-scenes tour for visitors to the zoo, a tiger managed to escape from the tiger enclosure into the inner courtyard and attack one of the zoo employees who was preparing the activity,” the zoo said in a statement.
Zoo officials emphasized that visitors were never in physical danger, noting that all guests remained safely behind glass windows throughout the incident.
The zoo, located in southwest Jerusalem and closed to the public following the attack, is cooperating with Israeli police in an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tiger’s escape. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that authorities are examining whether a faulty or unsecured door may have allowed the animal to leave its enclosure.
Nuri, known for sharing videos of his daily work with the zoo’s carnivores on social media, was a well-respected figure within the facility. “Our pain is immense and our hearts go out to Uriel’s family,” the zoo said in a statement mourning his death.
The 62-acre zoo, formally known as the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, is home to a variety of species mentioned in the Bible and critically endangered animals, including Sumatran tigers. Last year, a separate incident at the zoo left a staff member seriously injured after being bitten by a crocodile.
