Zoo experts warn visitor behaviour risks cannot be eliminated
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 16:31 · Archive
A man was fatally attacked by a tiger after entering an enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday. The incident follows a previous accident months earlier when a three-year-old boy was seriously injured in a crocodile enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.
Public safety is an "integral part" of UK zoo standards, according to zoo safety experts. Dr Campbell Murn, a former member of the government's expert committee for zoos and a lecturer in Conservation Science at the University of Reading, said such incidents remain rare but risks linked to unpredictable visitor behaviour can never truly be eliminated.
Enclosure design for dangerous wild animals follows set regulations, and staff are trained in emergency responses with regularly updated training and rapid protocols, Dr Murn explained. He noted that registered zoos across the country undergo regular inspections to ensure compliance with the Secretary of State's standards of modern zoo practice. However, despite these extensive safety systems, the inherent unpredictability of visitor behaviour means some risk will always remain.
How it is being reported
- Zoo experts warn visitor behaviour risk can never be eliminated after tiger deathRisks can never truly be eliminated, zoo safety experts have said after a man was fatally attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.Ely Standard · 12 Oct, 16:19
- Zoo experts warn visitor behaviour risk can never be eliminated after tiger deathRisks can never truly be eliminated, zoo safety experts have said after a man was fatally attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.Cambs Times · 12 Oct, 16:19
In this story: Yorkshire Wildlife Park · Johnsons of Old Hurst · Huntingdon · Cambridgeshire · Dr Campbell Murn · University of Reading
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