When the Palm Beach Zoo opens later today after being closed to the public over the weekend, it won’t quite be business as usual. Zoo employees have been mourning the death of zookeeper Stacey Konwiser, who was killed by a male Malayan tiger on Friday. Her death made international news.
On Sunday evening, zoo spokesperson Naki Carter responded to rumors that the tiger would be euthanized, saying, “The tiger is healthy. There has never been blame, nor will there ever be blame assigned to the wild Malayan tiger involved in this deadly incident. There has never been any threat to this animal’s welfare. Stacey would not have wanted the tiger blamed. We are a conservation society, and we are here to preserve the species from becoming extinct.”
Konwiser, 38, was a lead tiger keeper who cared for the four Malayan tigers at the zoo and was preparing for a “Tiger Talk” show around 2 p.m. when one of the male tigers attacked her in the “night house” behind the exhibit. Officials have not released the details of the attack, and investigations are underway by the West Palm Beach Police Department, Florida Fish and Wildlife, The Association of Zoos and Aquariams, and the U.S.D.A. The tiger was tranquilized Friday afternoon and has been recovering.
