The discovery of the female keeper’s body was made at around 5pm at the Terra Natura park in the south-eastern coastal resort town of Benidorm. The emergency services, including the Red Cross and medics, were called out following reports to the police that a worker had been attacked by a tiger. However, on their arrival, they could see that the woman was already dead. The park was open at the time but sources say the cage was not in the public's view and was away from the main area so no visitor witnessed the attack. Terra Natura describes itself as a "new generation immersion park" where visitors, including thousands of Brits, can see wildlife in their enclosures through glass barriers. The Terra Natura in Benidorm, which is in Spain’s Alicante province, promotes itself on its website as “a new generation” animal park, with a habitat area created for each of 200 species of animals. "For reasons that are investigating, the caretaker has come into direct contact with the animal while cleaning jobs in the inner sanctuaries.
– A 37-year-old female zookeeper at a so-called "immersion zoo" in Spain was killed by a tiger, reports the AFP. The attack wasn't witnessed, but her body was discovered about 5pm Saturday at Terra Natura animal park. "The tiger was still in the cage with the 37-year-old keeper," says a Red Cross rep. The animal was sedated with darts so that rescuers could enter, but the unnamed keeper was pronounced dead at the scene. "The entire staff of the park is appalled and deeply affected by the tragic news," a zoo rep says, via the Mirror. It's possible that the woman, a veteran employee of eight years, left a gate open as she went about her duties, per local reports. Terra Natura touts itself as a "new generation immersion park," which separates animals from tourists only with a glass barrier so that, as the Mirror puts it, visitors "can watch and be 'at one' with" the animals.