Jerusalem Biblical Zoo employee dies after leopard attack
Uriel Nuri was transported to the nearby Hadassah hospital, but was pronounced dead soon afterwards
An employee at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo has died after being attacked by a leopard, according to reports from Israeli media.
Uriel Nuri, one of the leopard trainers at the facility, was reportedly mauled by the animal on Friday morning.
Magen David Adom paramedic Dov Shari, who was visiting the zoo with family members, was one of the first-responders on the scene. He told the Jerusalem Post that he “ran over and saw a man lying unconscious, with significant injuries to his neck. We immediately attempted to stop the bleeding, and very quickly, another MDA team arrived. We gave him life-saving treatment, including CPR, before he was evacuated for further treatment.”
The injured man was transported to the Hadassah hospital, a 12 minute drive from the zoo, but was pronounced dead soon after.
The Biblical Zoo, also known as the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, announced shortly afterwards that it would be closed until further notice.
In a statement to Israeli media, the institution said:
“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 zoo went on to say that “at no point was there any physical danger to the visitors, who were protected behind a glass window. With the help of the Israel Police, we are now conducting a comprehensive investigation to understand how the leopard managed to escape into the courtyard.”
Last year a crocodile at the same zoo seriously wounded a staff member, before a security guard managed to shoot and kill the animal.
In a statement Nuri posted on social media in June along with a photo of himself feeding a Leopard, the zoo trainer said:
“Even in these days under fire, and reserve duty, and an abnormal heat wave, with pain that we all face around the hostages and the missing, all the friends from the different zoos and here at the Biblical zoo show up without question to be with the animals and make sure not only that they are okay, but they are more than fine
“We do it at the expense of time with our families, at the expense of our Sabbaths and holidays. A place where there is no politics, only nature conservation and concern for the animals that are in danger of extinction.”
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