WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A woman who was killed last month in a tiger attack at the Palm Beach Zoo failed to follow safety procedures, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report.
Zoo employee Stacey Konwiser, 38, died April 15 after she was injured by a male Malaysian tiger in the night house where tigers sleep and eat.
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According to the USDA report obtained Wednesday by Local 10 News, Konwiser "did not follow established safety procedures."
"Emergency personnel were unable to attend to the lead keeper until the tiger was darted and sedated," animal care inspector Megan E. Adams wrote in the report. "The need to dart and sedate the tiger subjected the animal to behavioral stress, unnecessary discomfort and potential harm which could have been prevented if adequate safety protocols were followed."
The USDA inspection, conducted Tuesday, also found that there were "several piles of discarded materials" behind the tiger enclosure, the report said.
"Weeds and grasses had grown up around these areas, indicating that the debris had been there for some time," the report said. "These piles provide a haven for vermin."
There were also several tree limb cuttings lying on the ground along a zookeeper access area between two fences for the tiger enclosure, the report said. Those cuttings "could easily cause a keeper to trip" and should have been removed, the report said.
Dr. Michael Bell, Palm Beach County's chief medical examiner, said Konwiser died of a neck injury, but the autopsy report has not yet been released.