Uriel Nuri (26), a zookeeper at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem for eight years, was killed Friday in an attack by an Anatolian leopard that had arrived in Israel earlier this year. According to a preliminary investigation conducted by police and zoo staff, the leopard managed to exit its enclosure while Nuri was preparing enrichment activities as part of a visitor tour. One of the doors that was supposed to block the leopard had been left open.
Uriel Nuri in an instructional video
(Video: Biblical zoo)
Nuri, a resident of Jerusalem, was the head caretaker of the animals at the zoo. He had worked there since his national service year. He is survived by his parents and three siblings; the family had lost a sister just a year ago. The family lives in the settlement of Nokdim, which issued a public statement:
“The Gush Etzion Regional Council mourns the passing of Uriel Nuri of Nokdim, son of Eliyahu and Ilanit Nuri, residents of the community.”
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Yoel Israeli, a friend of Nuri, told Ynet that they met during a training seminar in Italy focused on animal welfare. “What connected us was that he also came from an ultra-Orthodox home, like me,” Israeli said. “Uriel was a real professional. A champion. He was great at both training and enrichment for the animals. He deeply understood everything related to animals.”
“I’m in shock over what happened,” he continued. “There are safety protocols, especially at the Biblical Zoo—it’s the best zoo. How could something like this happen there? I don’t know. It definitely wasn’t his human error. I can’t understand how this happened.”
Rescue teams reported that during treatment of the injured man, the leopard repeatedly rammed the enclosure gate. Nuri was evacuated in critical condition from the zoo to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“At around 10:00 a.m., we received a call about a zoo employee attacked by a wild animal,” said a United Hatzalah paramedic named David. “We were directed to the leopard enclosure, where the worker was lying on the ground. The leopard was isolated, and the zoo’s veterinarians and staff began treatment. We performed life-saving procedures, stopped bleeding, and an ambulance transported him with severe upper-body injuries to the trauma unit.”
Dr. Ariel Lifshitz of United Hatzalah added: “When we arrived, medics tried to stop the bleeding while we began advanced life-saving measures. En route to the hospital and at the hospital itself, we did everything we could to help him—but tragically, he did not survive. It was a very difficult incident. I live in the area, and I don’t recall an incident like this in recent years.”