Kenichi Kato Japanese zookeeper mauled to death by lion after failing to close door while trying to lure beast into its cave with food at Tohoku Safari Park. Safety protocol under review.
A zookeeper at a Japanese safari park has died after he was mauled to death by a lion as he sought to lure the predator into its cave with food.
Kenichi Kato, a 53-year-old worker at Tohoku Safari Park in the Fukushima region, was found bleeding from his neck and unconscious inside the lion’s cage on Thursday afternoon, AFP reported.
‘It is believed that he was feeding a lion,’ a police spokesperson told the outlet.
Lapse in safety policy
A senior park official earlier said Kato was trying to lure a lion to a cage by using food, but did not lock a door that should have separated him from the big cat.
‘The process is that we open the door, and place the food. Once the food is placed, the door is to be closed and locked,’ Norichika Kumakubo, vice-president of the park, told local media on Thursday evening.
But ‘the door was open at the time’, he said.
It remained unclear whether Kate had forgotten to lock the door as per policy or had come to believe that the lion he guarded over would not have the temerity to attack. It remained unclear whether the zookeeper had also in the past left the door open.
Video surveillance showed the wild animal pouncing on the zookeeper.
Kato was a veteran staff member of 27 years who worked with carnivores such as lions, tigers and bears, local media said.
‘We deeply apologise to Mr Kato and his family,’ Mr Kumakubo said.
‘We regard this extremely seriously. We will take measures to prevent similar accidents.’
The facility will remain closed until safety management measures are improved.
