Denver
A 140-pound jaguar at the Denver Zoo fatally mauled a zookeeper last week before being shot and killed by zoo personnel. The attendant, 27-year-old Ashlee Pfaff, suffered a broken neck and internal injuries and later died in a Denver hospital. Zoo officials are now investigating why Pfaff violated zoo procedure by entering the jaguar’s enclosure while the animal was there. “She was an experienced animal keeper,” said zoo spokeswoman Ana Bowie. “This wasn’t like it was her first job working with cats.” Before the mauling, the jaguar, a 6-year-old male named Jorge, had no history of attacking humans.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
