A woman mauled to death by a tiger at the wildlife park where she worked was doing her "dream job", her mother has told an inquest.

Sarah McClay, 24, from Glasgow, suffered multiple injuries when she was attacked at South Lakes Wild Animal Park in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, on May 24 last year.

Miss McClay was going about her routine duties in the big cat enclosure at the park when she came into contact with a male Sumatran tiger.

She was taken by air ambulance to Royal Preston Hospital but later died from her injuries.

Police said at the time of her death that the enclosure consisted of a number of indoor and outdoor compartments connected by lockable doors. Keepers were required to enter various parts of the enclosure in the course of their routine duties.

However, systems were said to be in place to ensure that animals and keepers remained apart at all times.

Speaking on the first day of the inquest, which is being held in front of a jury, Fiona McClay, from Linlithgow, told the hearing in Kendal that her daughter was "a meticulous person to the extreme" who was "settled in her life".

She said Miss McClay had worked as an animal carer at the park for approximately three years.

South Cumbria Coroner Ian Smith asked her what her daughter's attitude was to her occupation.

Mrs McClay replied: "It was a dream job ... I would say ever since she had visited the park as a child."

She had a liking for the "animal world of Great ­Britain" and did not have "a particular affinity" for big cats but she saw it as "a privilege" to work with them, said Mrs McClay.

She confirmed Miss McClay was in a relationship with her partner, David Shaw, at the time.

Mr Smith asked her: "Were they happy together?" Mrs McClay replied: "Oh very."

She said she believed her daughter did not have any health or money problems.

The coroner asked: "Happy with what she was doing?" Mrs McClay said: "She was settled in her life."

Asked by Mr Smith about her personality, Mrs McClay said: "She was a meticulous person to the extreme. She would never just do something. She always wanted to do it a little bit better.

"She was a conversational person. She would discuss things and she would be never be critical of anyone else and would listen to their point of view."

Speaking about media coverage, which contained calls for the tiger to be killed, Mrs McClay said: "That is absolutely 100 per cent not what Sarah would not have wanted. She would not have blamed the tiger for anything what had happened."

A post-mortem examination showed that among Miss McClay's unsurvivable injuries were deep puncture wounds to the neck, the back of her body, both arms and her left foot.

Bruising and abrasions to her head and back were consistent with her being dragged along the ground, the inquest heard.

Reopening the inquest at the town's County Hall, which is scheduled to last up to six days, Mr Smith told the jury of six women and four men that the nature of the case was "extremely unusual".

He told them: "Your job is to decide the facts. To decide what actually happened because it is not altogether clear at this stage."

A scale model of the tiger house was inspected by the jury yesterday.

A short video of the park's tiger house, filmed last June, was also shown in court.

Jurors were told their attention would be focused on the left side of the enclosure.

The jury will visit the park this morning before more evidence is taken later.