Zookeeper hospitalized after tiger attack at Topeka Zoo

This Nov. 2018 file photo shows Sanjiv, a Sumatran tiger at the Topeka Zoo in Topeka, Kansas. City officials say Sanjiv, mauled a zookeeper early Saturday, April 20, 2019 in a secured indoor space at the zoo.
Topeka Zoo director Brendan Wiley says the zookeeper was awake and alert when she was taken by ambulance to a hospital. Wiley said he did not know the extent of her injuries. The zookeeper’s name has not been released. | The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP

TOPEKA, Kan. — City officials say a tiger mauled a zookeeper at the Topeka Zoo in northeastern Kansas.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the incident happened around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, when a Sumatran tiger named Sanjiv tackled the worker in an enclosed outdoor space.

Topeka Zoo director Brendan Wiley says the zookeeper suffered lacerations and puncture wounds to her head, neck and back. Wiley says she was awake and alert when she was taken by ambulance to a hospital and was in stable condition Saturday afternoon. The zookeeper’s name has not been released.

The zoo was open at the time of the attack and was witnessed by some people. It reopened about 45 minutes after the attack.

Officials are investigating what led up to the attack.

Sanjiv came to the Topeka Zoo in August 2017 from a zoo in Akron, Ohio.

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