Uriel Nuri, an employee of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, was pronounced dead after a leopard attacked him on Friday, Hadassah-University Medical Center announced.
Following Nuri’s death, the zoo announced that it would be closed to visitors until future notice.
The 36-year-old employee was found unconscious with severe wounds to his neck. Medical sources said he was evacuated to Hadassah-University Medical Center in Ein Kerem in critical condition to receive further medical treatment.
Upon arrival, hospital staff noticed extensive injuries to his upper body, and after prolonged resuscitation efforts, were forced to declare his death.
Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic Dov Shari arrived at the scene after receiving a report of someone injured in the leopard enclosure: “I 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.”
From the initial investigation, it seems that Nuri was one of the leopard trainers who was bitten while feeding the animals. Other zoo employees managed to remove him from the enclosure without having to shoot or harm the leopard.
Israel Police added that forces from the Moriah Station in the Jerusalem District were dispatched to the scene to investigate the incident.
“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 Jerusalem Biblical Zoo said in a statement regarding the incident.
“At no point was there any physical danger to the visitors, who were protected behind a glass window,” the zoo clarified. “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.”
Previous animal attacks
Last year, a similar incident took place after a crocodile attacked a 45-year-old employee working in the crocodile enclosure, severely injuring him. Luckily, a security guard took notice and fatally shot the crocodile, likely saving the man’s life.
The employee was evacuated to the Hadassah-University Medical Center’s trauma unit in Ein Kerem, where a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, anesthetists, and oral and maxillofacial, orthopedic, and plastic specialists worked together in an operation that lasted over nine hours.
Maariv contributed to the report.