Urging OSHA and USDA to investigate zookeeper death
The Animal Legal Defense Fund called on OSHA and the USDA to investigate a zookeeper's death
The Animal Legal Defense Fund called on OSHA and the USDA to investigate the Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach, Florida, after a zookeeper was killed by a tiger.
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On April 15, 2016, zookeeper Stacey Konwiser was attacked and killed by a tiger at the Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach, Florida. Konwiser had been in a part of the enclosure where the tiger had access, in what the zoo said was a violation of protocol.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund called on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate the Palm Beach Zoo. We also asked these agencies to impose the maximum penalty to ensure an end to these preventable deaths in zoos.
OSHA’s report came out in October 2018. The agency did not issue a citation, but did issue a number of safety recommendations. These included that the zoo should follow regular safety procedures and protocols, install video monitoring equipment to monitor tigers, and minimize the instances during which zookeepers would be alone with tigers.
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