The Lioness Was Killed by the Zoo System, Not a Lion, Says Luka Oman
Animal Friends Croatia accuses Zagreb Zoo management of failures that led to the death of lioness Tayri in front of visitors.
Animal Friends Croatia accuses Zagreb Zoo management of failures that led to the death of lioness Tayri in front of visitors.
The death of lioness Tayri, killed by male lion Uganda at Zagreb Zoo a few days ago, has sparked a wave of reactions and raised questions about management responsibility. Director Ivan Cizelj defends his staff's actions, but Animal Friends Croatia has leveled sharp accusations at the entire management system.
Speaking on Tuesday on N1 television's 'Novi dan' show, association representative Luka Oman stated: "The lioness was killed by the zoo system, not a lion." With that sentence, he summed up the view of those who believe the tragedy could have been prevented had the authorities noticed the warning signs in time.
According to accounts reported by Jutarnji list, the conflict between the animals did not erupt out of nowhere. Several witnesses claim the male had been behaving aggressively for days, while the lioness appeared frightened, exhausted, and wounded.
One visitor described the moment of the attack: "There weren't many people around the lion enclosure, maybe fifteen of us. I was watching the animals, and no, it wasn't play. It seemed very aggressive." Her mother asked a zoo worker why they didn't spray the animals with water to break up the fight, and he allegedly replied: "Let her do it."
Tamara from Slovenia recounted an even more distressing scene in which the lion attacked the female and she fell into the water. "We started shouting, a zoo employee came and started yelling at the lion to move away. He moved away, and she pulled herself out of the water. That's when I saw scratches on her," she said. Her older daughter, upon learning later that Tayri had died, stopped the car and burst into tears.
Zoo director Ivan Cizelj dismissed claims that earlier conflicts required a response. He emphasized that the introduction process was carried out in accordance with the rules of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and that the fatal attack was brief.
"Our keepers reacted immediately. They tried to call the lion away to divert him from the attack," Cizelj said. He also explained why a tranquilizer was not used: it takes about ten minutes to take effect, so after the lioness's death, such a move no longer made sense.
Commenting on visitor claims of previous injuries, he said physical contact is a normal part of lion social dynamics. "All injuries to the lions were monitored by our keepers and veterinarians. No injury required treatment," he stated. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine's findings determined that Tayri most likely died from suffocation due to compression of the larynx and pharynx.
The public is increasingly demanding concrete answers: who monitored the animals' behavior, what injuries were documented, why was no decision made to separate them, and did anyone ignore warning signs? The case is further compounded by the fact that children witnessed the dramatic scenes, and one visitor had photographed the lioness the day before her death, only later noticing numerous wounds on her body in the images.
While the zoo's management insists everything was done according to regulations, witness accounts and criticism from Animal Friends Croatia create room for serious scrutiny of the decisions that led to the lioness's death.
