Human error caused the tragic mauling of zookeeper Ashlee Pfaff in February, a Denver Zoo internal investigation revealed Tuesday.
Pfaff, 27, who had been a keeper at the feline exhibit for more than a year, failed to follow routine safety precautions, including knowing where the animal was at all times before entering its habitat, Denver Zoo executive vice president and chief operating officer Craig Piper said.
“This is the fundamental rule of zoo keeping: Always know where your animals are.”
Pfaff was killed on Feb. 24 when a 140-pound jaguar named Jorge pounced on her in an employee-access hallway through an open cage door. An autopsy found that Pfaff died of a broken neck and had extensive internal injuries.
At a news conference Tuesday, Piper said two key safety violations were made by Pfaff: failure to verify the location of the big cat before opening the keeper-access door to the exhibit and failure to maintain two locked doors between the keeper and the animal.
While the investigation determined how the accident happened, zoo officials were still speculating why, Piper said.
A lone eyewitness, who has remained anonymous but was interviewed by investigators, reported seeing from a public viewing area the jaguar on a low rock facing the steel mesh access door to the exhibit. After the witness turned to a companion and looked back, the person saw the jaguar attacking someone.
The witness pounded on the glass to distract the jaguar and ran next door for help. Within two minutes, zoo staff arrived to separate the jaguar from Pfaff, ultimately shooting the animal, the report stated.
Pfaff was a “talented keeper,” Piper said, with proper experience and training. Her service included only one documented verbal warning for a violation that did not occur in the feline buildings and did not involve a dangerous species.
The report concluded two possible scenarios: That Pfaff thought the jaguar was already outside without having to transfer it, or that she was transferring it herself but the cat snuck back into the indoor exhibit without her seeing.
“In either of the scenarios, she failed to verify the location of the animal,” Piper said. “We have thoroughly researched every possibility and have concluded that the tragedy resulted from human error.”
Denver police cleared the zoo from any wrongdoing.
The U.S. Agriculture Department, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a zoo-accrediting agency, also are investigating. Those investigations have yet to be completed.
Pfaff, who had started work at the Denver Zoo in 2005 and completed training to work in the Feline II building by February 2006, graduated from New Mexico State University in 2002 with a degree in biology.
Pfaff’s parents live in Albuquerque. They could not be reached for comment.
The Feline II indoor exhibit has been closed since the incident, and zoo officials plan to work with staff to decide when to reopen it to the public, Piper said.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
