Tiger Kills Zookeeper In New Zealand

Samantha Kudeweh with one of Hamilton Zoo's tigers.

Trevor Penfold / Hamilton Zoo / Via hamiltonzoo.co.nz

A zookeeper on New Zealand's North Island was killed Sunday after a tiger attacked her, officials said.

Samantha Kudeweh, 43, who worked as a zookeeper for more than 20 years, died after the male Sumatran tiger attacked her at Hamilton Zoo around 11 a.m. local time.

"Sadly the staff member who was attacked by the tiger has died at the scene," police spokeswoman Senior Sergeant Juliet Burgess said in a statement. “This is a tragic incident."

Authorities and zoo staff said it was too early to determine what prompted the attack, but police and work safety officials are investigating the death.

"Our focus at this time is on supporting staff and the wider zoo family, and working with relevant agencies on investigations which are underway," read a message posted to the zoo's Facebook account.

Hamilton city officials identified the tiger involved in the attack as Oz, the zoo's male Sumatran tiger.

Oz, the zoo's male Sumatran tiger.

Hamilton Zoo / Via Facebook: HamiltonZooNZ

Officials said the tiger and all other zoo animals were safely in their enclosures and posed no threat to the public.

"This is a very difficult situation for all zoo staff, family members of the zoo staff member who has died...and the extended zoo family," read the statement from Hamilton city council.

On the zoo's website, Kudeweh was listed as the zoo's curator, charged with importing and exporting animals, as well as determining how they are presented to the public.

Kudeweh had previously worked at zoos in Auckland, where she had completed a bachelor of science degree, as well as at zoos in Australia.

"For me the best thing about my role is the opportunities to interact with other species one to one, but there is a down side and that is having to say goodbye to animals. That part never gets any easier," she wrote.

The tigers, which are native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, are critically endangered, with just 400-500 of the animals estimated to be left in the wild.

SOURCE: BuzzFeed