Brașov (Romania) - On Tuesday, a tragic accident occurred at Gradina Zoologica, where a 52-year-old zookeeper was killed by a tiger.

As Stirile proTV reported, the employee was in the process of bringing food into the tiger's cage when he apparently disregarded basic safety precautions.

According to initial reports, the zookeeper had forgotten to close the security door that should have secured the entrance between him and the big cat.

This allowed the animal to enter the area where the keeper was staying and immediately attacked him.

The wild animal grabbed the 52-year-old and inflicted serious injuries to his head.

Despite the rapid arrival of emergency services, the man could no longer be saved and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

The zoo said it was the first incident of its kind in its 50-year history and launched an internal investigation.

"We will work with the police to determine the cause of the incident and ensure that such tragedies do not happen again," the statement said.