Escaped lions kill zookeeper in Parkent district

A tragic incident occurred at a zoo in the Parkent district of the Tashkent region, where a guard attempting to return escaped lions to their cage was attacked and killed. This information was confirmed by Hayot Shamsutdinov, the press secretary of the Prosecutor General’s Office, following a request from QALAMPIR.UZ.

According to the report, the incident took place on December 17 at approximately 05:00 in the morning. Three African lions, housed in the zoo, escaped into the zoo’s territory after the cage door was left open. The guard, identified as I.F., born in 1980, tried to return the lions to the cage. However, the predators attacked him, ultimately killing him and consuming parts of his body.

The situation was discovered by zoo employees around 09:00. Two of the lions were returned to their cages using sedatives, while a third lion was shot dead by a local hunter.

At 10:00, the district Internal Affairs Department’s on-duty team, the district prosecutor, an investigator from the district prosecutor’s office, employees from the regional ecology department, and a special armed combat group of the Internal Affairs Department arrived at the scene. They examined the site, inspected the remains of the deceased, and ordered STE and DNA examinations.

Additionally, a full count of the park’s predators was conducted to ensure that all animals were in their cages and that proper security measures were in place.

Currently, the Parkent District Prosecutor’s Office, along with an investigative and operational group, the Ministry of Ecology, and specialists from the Tashkent Zoo, are carrying out an inspection and investigation into the incident.