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FACTBOX: Russian zookeeper dies after being mauled by lions

Leokadia Perevalova, who worked in the Crimean Taigan Park, was killed by lions while she was cleaning their enclosure

© Sergey Malgavko/TASS

SIMFEROPOL, October 17. /TASS/. The lions that mauled Leokadia Perevalova, an employee of the Taigan Safari Park and chief zookeeper of the Skazka (Fairy Tale) zoo in the Republic of Crimea, will not be put to sleep, the park's director Oleg Zubkov told TASS.

On October 16, while cleaning an enclosure, the woman was attacked and killed by three lions.

TASS has gathered the key information about the incident.

How the incident happened

- Leokadia Perevalova, who worked in the Crimean Taigan Park, was killed by lions while she was cleaning their enclosure.

- She left the latch of the protective door between the two rooms of the enclosure unlocked. As a result, the predators were able to get to her, jumping on the woman and mauling her.

- The staff who arrived on the scene could no longer provide any assistance to Perevalova, Oleg Zubkov, the park's director, said.

- The lions that mauled the woman will not be put to sleep, he said.

- Funeral arrangements are underway, and the park administration is in contact with Perevalova’s relatives to provide help, Zubkov added.

Investigation

- Following the incident, a criminal case has been opened into the death of a person by workplace negligence (part 2 of Article 143 of the Criminal Code).

- Investigators have already inspected the scene, the Russian Investigative Committee's office for the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol reported.

- Documentation related to safety regulations and labor laws has been seized for review. Authorities are determining who is responsible for the violations.

- The Crimean prosecutor's office has launched its own investigation into compliance with workplace safety regulations at the park.

About Leokadia Perevalova

- Perevalova began as an animal care worker, eventually becoming the chief zookeeper at the Skazka (Fairy Tale) zoo in Yalta.

- She was an experienced specialist who taught other employees how to deal with predatory animals.

What is known about the Taigan lion park

- The Taigan Safari Park is located on the shore of the Taiga reservoir in the Belogorsk Region of Crimea.

- In 2021, employees of the Russian Investigative Committee's office for the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol initiated a case against the safari park after one of its lions attacked a one-year-old child who lost a finger as a result.

- In May 2024, the Central District Court of Simferopol re-opened the case against park director Zubkov after another animal-related incident. He received a one-year suspended sentence and probation.

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