Female zookeeper mauled to death by a tiger during a 'freak accident' at British zoo'

The zookeeper who was killed by a tiger as visitors heard a ‘blood-curdling’ scream from the enclosure has been named as Rosa King.

The 33-year-old's colleagues desperately tried to save her by distracting the big cat with chunks of meat, witnesses said.

More than 100 visitors were evacuated from Hamerton Zoo in Cambridgeshire as ‘all hell broke loose’ and police and paramedics rushed to the scene.

Witness Pete Davis said he believed Miss King was attacked after rushing to help a colleague in the tiger enclosure.

He said: ‘There’s no doubting it was a girl’s scream and something terrible had happened. It sounds like a tiger turned on her. 

She had run into the enclosure after hearing one of her colleagues shouting and moments later all  hell let loose.

'She let out a blood-curdling scream and then another keeper ran out and shouted “run”.

'It was a case of total panic. There were keepers rushing about throwing buckets of meat to try and get the tigers under control.’

Miss King’s friend, wildlife photographer Garry Chisholm, said last night: ‘I have lost a very dear friend who loved the animals in her care very much.