On Sunday afternoon, a zoo employee on land in Sweden was stabbed and killed. An ostrich and a deer are said to have been involved in the fatal crash.

– The man works to bring the animals to the pens after the park is closed. In connection with that, something happened that caused the deer to stab him, police spokesman Robert Loeffel told reporters. SVT.

Land’s Djurpark Managing Director Richard Berglund witnessed the incident himself, and was deeply moved by what he saw:

– He and I were supposed to carry the animals at night, added Berglund Aftonbladet.

He explained that the incident took place in a large swan area where ostrich, deer antelope and zebra roam. The zookeeper stood inside and the director outside.

– It couldn’t have been done any other way. We were about to feed the animals, and suddenly attacked. We’ve never had a problem with the animals before, adds Berglund SVT.

Ostrich and deer antelope

An ostrich and antelope are said to have been involved in the accident.

– Presumably, the ostrich has become restless in some way. This time I will not discuss in detail. A police investigation will show that, the park owner said.

The zookeeper died from his injuries.

– This is a great sadness for the park. This is a much-loved pet sitter and companion who has been with us for many years, says Berglund.

On zoo website it said that a crisis meeting had been held and the staff had received support.

“The personnel involved have exceptional expertise and years of experience with the affected animal species.” he says.

It is not yet known what will happen to the deer antelope, or whether it will be moved.

– The antelope can’t help it… the deer are still here and won’t be killed, Berglund told Aftonbladet with tears in his eyes.

Already started the investigation

Police have started an investigation into the death.

– We take this as a very serious incident. It is being investigated as a violation of the Work Environment Act, which is routine when something like this happens in the workplace. Not that someone is a suspect. This is routine when something like this happens, said police spokesman Rickard Lundqvist.

Police and ambulance respond to one alarm from the zoo at 5:20 p.m. on a Sunday. The person was declared dead at the scene. The deceased was a foreign national who had worked in Sweden for many years.

Allegations of past security failures

An unnamed employee who worked at the park earlier this year claimed to Express that at that time there had been a failure in the security routine at the park. Parks have not responded to the allegations as of Monday – Expressen has not been able to speak to management.

The incident occurred on land in the municipality of Mörbylånga in Sweden. According to its website, the park is a combination of an animal park, an amusement park and a water park. The zoo specializes in monkeys and carnivores, but also has savanna animals such as zebras, exotic birds and various reptiles, according to Express.

The zoo is closed for the season.

A deer antelope, also known as an eland, is the largest of all living antelopes, according to Big Norwegian Encyclopedia. Its body length is more than three meters, with a shoulder height of 180 to 200 centimeters, and its weight is 700 to 1000 kilograms.