A zookeeper at the Kolmarden Zoo in Sweden was attacked and killed by wolves during a routine inspection of the wolves' habitat. Zoo officials say the worker followed procedure but was tragically killed; they are now investigating what could have led to the attack.
While the worker's identity remains unknown for now, officials did say that it was a female zookeeper who died on Sunday morning. She entered the wolves' habitat alone after notifying her co-workers, which is proper procedure at the zoo. The wolves are used to human contact, especially by this zookeeper, whom the zoo states had worked with the wolves "since they were born."
"When the co-worker did not respond when called, her colleagues realized something was wrong and went to the wolves' area," a statement from the zoo explained. "There they found her dead."
Animal director Mats Hoggren told the media that the workers and paramedics entered the pen and formed a human chain to prevent further incident, but by the time they reached the young woman, she was already gone.
Even though zoo officials maintain that the wolves are tame and used to human contact, many are criticizing the zoo for taking such a relaxed attitude when it comes to wild animals.
"This is NOT a natural habitat for wolves," endrepubs posted on the CBS website. "You can't expect them to be predictable within a Zoo enclosure. These animals need lots of space in the wild. They don't normally attack humans in the wild."
"Zoo policy is responsible for this tragedy," added Garfield3457. "Radio contact doesn't get it. NOBODY should ever be permitted to enter an enclosure containing one or especially many predators known to attack humans alone. Animals always calculate the odds before they make a move. This woman alone was easy."
The Kolmarden Zoo officials have stated that they intend to review all their animal-handling policies.
Watch a woman describe surviving a wolf attack HERE:
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