Zookeeper Mauled to Death by Tiger at Cambridgeshire Zoo

A zookeeper at Hamerton Zoo Park near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was tragically mauled to death by a tiger on Monday morning.

Rosa King, aged just 33, was reportedly killed after entering the tiger enclosure. Whilst the zoo is describing the incident as a “freak accident”, keeping wild animals in captivity is both dangerous for humans and cruel to animals.

There have been numerous similar incidents at zoos in the UK and all over the world in which zookeepers have been killed by animals. It’s not surprising that captive animals – who have the same instincts as their wild counterparts – lash out when they’re kept in tiny enclosures and forced into much closer and more frequent contact with humans than they would ever experience in their native environment.

In their natural habitats, big cats roam large territories, raise young, and enjoy complex social relationships. Yet in zoos, their lives are restricted and controlled in every way. The confinement and lack of stimulation often cause them to develop abnormal and self-destructive forms of behaviour.

Zoos would have you believe that they’re all that stands between many endangered species and extinction, but tigers, elephants, chimpanzees, and many other species have never been successfully released into the wild by UK zoos. Profit comes first for these businesses, and their massively expensive breeding programmes divert money away from genuine conservation projects.

Please don’t visit zoos – they endanger human lives and exploit the animals they claim to care for. We can protect endangered species by supporting habitat conservation, not animal prisons:

Why You Shouldn't Visit the Zoo

Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals