Former Living Desert employee killed in Florida tiger attack

A former employee of the Living Desert was killed Friday in a tiger attack in a Florida zoo.

Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society lead zoo keeper Stacey Konwiser was killed by one of the zoo’s Malayan tigers.

According to the zoo’s Facebook Page, Konwiser was employed at the Living Desert before moving to Florida. She moved to Florida after meeting here husband Jeremy while working at the Palm Desert zoo.

According to representatives with the Living Desert, Konwiser worked at the Living Desert from 2003 to 2013 before taking the job in Florida.

Well post more details as they become available.

Here’s the full press release from the zoo:

“Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society Mourns Loss of Beloved Lead Keeper

It is with great sadness the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society mourns the loss of our Lead Keeper Stacey Konwiser. The entire Palm Beach Zoo family is saddened beyond what words can describe at this incident and tragic outcome.

While this is an active and ongoing investigation, we can confirm that at approximately 2 p.m. today, Konwiser was involved in an incident with one of our male Malayan tigers. This incident occurred off exhibit, in the tiger night house, which is in the back of the tiger exhibit where the public does not have access.

We want to underscore that at no time was the public at any risk. We also want to emphasize that at no time did any animal escape. The Zoo has a safety protocol in place for crisis situations and these protocols were employed today. Immediately after the Code Red was issued guests, who were never in any danger, were ushered out of the Zoo in an orderly fashion and the Zoo went into lockdown.

West Palm Beach Police Department and West Palm Beach Fire Department EMS responded to the scene. A number of investigations remain ongoing.

This marks the first death of a human involved in an animal incident in the history of Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society. Grief counselors remain available to Zoo staff affected by this tragic incident. Our focus remains on providing the adequate support for our staff and family members who have been affected by this tragic incident.

This is a very difficult situation for all Zoo staff, family members of Konwiser, her family and the extended Zoo family. We ask the media and public to respect the privacy of those involved during this difficult time.

The Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society will remain closed throughout the weekend, and we will provide you updates as we receive new information from officials.”