So, here’s what went down at Pitești Zoo in Romania—a zookeeper lost his life in the most tragic way after being mauled by a tiger. Why? The poor guy, a 52-year-old who’d worked there since 2015, forgot to close the safety gate while cleaning the tiger’s enclosure.
How It Happened
Apparently, the zoo’s protocol is crystal clear: tigers need to be moved to a secured cage with a safety barrier before anyone enters their main enclosure. But on this particular day, the safety gate wasn’t dropped.
While cleaning, the tiger got back into the main cage and went straight for the man’s head. Emergency services got to the zoo within 10 minutes, but sadly, there was nothing they could do.
Witnesses Speak
According to witnesses, the whole thing was horrifying. Staff had to scramble to lock everything down to make sure the other five tigers didn’t escape their enclosures.
Official Reactions
Cristian Gentea, the mayor of Pitești, expressed his condolences, calling it a “huge loss” and sending thoughts to the man’s family.
Zoo officials were also quick to say this is the first deadly incident at Pitești Zoo in its 50-year history. However, let’s not ignore the fact that back in 2000, a tiger managed to escape due to unlocked doors. And just last year, another tiger got out at Sibiu Zoo because, guess what, someone forgot to lock up.
What’s Next?
Local authorities are investigating the incident, and zoo management is being told to tighten up safety measures to avoid this ever happening again. As tragic as it is, this should be a wake-up call for better training and stricter checks.
This is one of those stories that’s both heartbreaking and frustrating. A simple mistake cost a life, and it shows how important it is to double-check even the most routine tasks—especially when working around dangerous animals.
Let’s hope lessons are learned from this, not just at Pitești Zoo but everywhere, so people and animals can stay safe.