A zookeeper at Jerusalem’s Tisch Family Zoological Gardens — widely known as the Biblical Zoo — was killed Friday after being attacked by a leopard.
The victim, 36-year-old Uriel Nuri, sustained fatal injuries during the early morning incident on August 1, as reported by Ynetnews. Nuri had been performing routine tasks as part of a behind-the-scenes zoo tour when the leopard broke free from its enclosure and mauled him in an inner courtyard.
“During a routine activity to prepare food for the leopards, which took place as part of a behind-the-scenes tour for visitors of the zoo, a leopard managed to escape from the leopard house into the inner courtyard and attacked one of the zoo employees,” the Biblical Zoo said in a statement shared with The Jerusalem Post.
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Emergency responders found Nuri unconscious and suffering from “severe injuries,” primarily to his neck.
Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic Dov Shari told The Jerusalem Post that medics “immediately attempted to stop the bleeding,” and administered CPR in an attempt to stabilize him.
“We gave him life-saving treatment, including CPR, before he was evacuated for further treatment,” Shari said.
Despite intensive efforts, Nuri was pronounced dead at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center after “prolonged resuscitation efforts,” the hospital told Ynetnews.
In its statement, the zoo emphasized that “at no point was there any physical danger to the visitors, who were protected behind a glass window.”
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Zoo officials also noted they did not yet understand how the leopard managed to escape its enclosure and confirmed an investigation was underway with assistance from local law enforcement.
The leopard involved was not harmed during the recovery operation, according to the outlet.
In a Facebook post, the Biblical Zoo announced that it would remain closed in the wake of the tragedy.
“Dear visitors, the zoo is closing its doors due to a serious event,” the translated statement read. “We apologize and ask for the audience’s understanding in order to process the event that happened to us.”
It continued: “Due to the difficult case, the garden will be closed to visitors tomorrow, Saturday, and on Sunday.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Israel Police, the Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, and the Biblical Zoo for further comment.
