An animal keeper who spent almost four decades working at Safaripark Beekse Bergen has died after a Persian leopard attacked her. The attack happened in the indoor leopard enclosure on October 24, 2026; she died on October 27.
She first joined the park in Hilvarenbeek, in the Netherlands, at 17. Her long tenure included brief periods away. In a statement issued in consultation with her family, Beekse Bergen said it was supporting her relatives and colleagues.
The park keeps two male Persian leopards. The subspecies, Panthera pardus tulliana, is listed as Endangered by the IUCN and has its largest wild population in Iran. Its habitats include mountain forests, woodland and scrub.
Bad weather had kept the cats indoors that morning. The keeper was making her rounds with a colleague but entered the indoor area alone. Her coworker was nearby, outside the enclosure.
After a leopard attacked, she used her radio to call for help. Colleagues found her, and an ambulance took her to the hospital. Surgery followed later that day. Her condition deteriorated on October 25.
The rules that keep staff and predators apart
Beekse Bergen’s normal working arrangements are intended to prevent staff from occupying an enclosure with predators. Keepers work in pairs, but one person enters an enclosure at a time. A park spokesperson told Omroep Brabant that this reduces the risk of two people opening doors at once.
It’s still unclear how the keeper and a leopard came into contact. The park is bringing in an outside company to investigate, and the Dutch Labor Inspectorate is conducting a separate inquiry. The enclosure had no cameras, the park said.
Dutch Zoo Association director Wineke Schoo told NOS that the findings could help other zoos learn from what happened.
The leopards will remain at Beekse Bergen and receive their usual care. The park told NOS that the animals had behaved naturally as predators. It doesn’t plan to change their care unless investigators find a problem with the animals themselves.
Beekse Bergen has remained open after discussions with the keeper’s family. Visitors will be able to leave a message in a condolence book. For her coworkers, the park is arranging a place of their own to remember her.
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