Mauled Scots keeper's mother in action plea after new zoo tragedy

Rosa King (above), 33, who was named as the victim of the tragedy was described by a friend as "the shining light" of the zoo  and "absolutely passionate" about the animals in her care.

"Rosa wasn't just a keeper at Hamerton Zoo - she was Hamerton Zoo," said wildlife photographer friend Garry Chisholm of Northamptonshire.

It came just five days after the fourth anniversary of the death of 24-year-old Sarah McClay (below) from Glasgow at South Lakes Safari Zoo in Dalton-in-Furness after being clawed by a tiger.

Then, a Sumatran tiger called Padang got through an unlocked gate and left deep puncture wounds in her neck and body. A judge in finding the zoo last year for health and safety breaches said "a substantially contributory cause" was a door-closing mechanism failure.

Hamerton Zoo Park said in a statement that it was a "freak accident" and insisted that at "no point during the incident did any animals escape their enclosures, and at no point was public safety affected in any way".

The grim announcement came after the park was evacuated and shut for the day after emergency services were called to what was first described as a "serious incident" at around 11.15am.

Police at the scene of the attack

Witnesses said they heard screams and keepers desperately tried to distract tigers with pieces of meat.

Cambridgeshire Police said: "A tiger had entered an enclosure with a keeper. Sadly the female zoo keeper died at the scene."

At no time did the animal escape from the enclosure, said police.

Officers said the death "is not believed to be suspicious".

Sarah McClay's mother, Fiona said what had happened underlined the need for legislation to ensure tigers and keepers are never in contact together with better policing of such procedures.

Hamerton's advert for the tiger enclosures

When the Herald broke the news to her Mrs McClay was silent for a moment, then said: "Oh no. Oh gosh. It's just dreadful. That poor family. I really really feel for the family. It's so close to four years since what happened to Sarah. It's just spooky."

Mrs McClay, from Linlithgow, West Lothian added: I think the legislation for the design of tiger enclosures definitely needs to be changed, that's definitely what has to be said. This just underlines what I have felt all along, that there should not be able to be contact between a tiger and a keeper.

"We need specific legislation that is policed at a higher level than local council. There has to be something in place to ensure that that contact cannot happen."

Tiger enclosure at Hamerton

After Sarah's death, the then zoo owner David Gill said neither the zoo or the tiger were to blame, adding that it was down to "a devastataing error on her part" adding that she had "no reason" to be in the enclosure.

Mrs McClay added: "I just hope that the owners of the facility don't just jump to the conclusion that it was human error before there is a proper investigation."

The Cambridgeshire zoo will continue to be closed today (Tuesday) as investigations are carried out into what happened.

The zoo site

A Hamerton Zoo Park spokesman said: "We are sorry but our staff are too distressed to speak directly to the media, as one of our colleagues was killed at Hamerton Zoo Park this morning. It appears to have been a freak accident.

"A full investigation is currently underway and we hope that more details can be announced as soon as we are able.

"All our thoughts and sympathies are with our colleagues friends and families at this dreadful time."

Witness Victoria Northover Holmes from Corby, Northamptonshire said Bank Holiday crowds were told to flee as they ran up to a neighbouring enclosure and she ended up hiding in the keepers' room until officials said they could leave.

"A group of us ran into the keepers’ rooms for about 10 minutes until a keeper said we could leave," she said.

“At this point we understood by the reactions of the staff that something was going on inside the enclosure. We could see staff members on the other side of the fence with pieces of meat trying to get whatever s attention . It was heart-breaking seeing them trying to help."

Another visitor Kevin Fernandez added on social media: "Never run so fast in my life... they closed the zoo. Ambulance turned up. I think someone got bitten."

One animal rights group In Defense of Animals called on the zoo to "show mercy" and release the tigers to a sanctuary adding: "Wild animals should not be caged."

The zoo opened in June 1990 and covers some 25 acres.

It is home to four tigers in total: Bengal tigers Shiva and Mohan and Malaysian tigers Cicip and Sahaja.

It als includes enclosures for cheetahs, wolves, corsac foxes, kangaroos as well as a variety of birds, reptiles and domestic animals.

The zoo opened a new enclosure for its Malaysian tigers in July last year.

In October 2008, a cheetah escaped from the zoo, described as “the most environmentally-friendly zoo in Europe" and re-emerged in a nearby back garden.

Eight-year-old Toby Taylor found the cheetah in the back garden of his family home. It was thought to have got out through a faulty electric fence.

Officials at Hamerton Zoo described the cheetah named Akea as tame as a “pet dog” and did not pose a threat to human life.