- Jaguar That Killed Denver Zookeeper Had Mean Twin Named Osama
- 27.2.07 09:55
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DENVER — A Bolivian-born jaguar that killed a Denver zookeeper was well-behaved as a young cat but his twin was so mean that his handlers named him Osama, a Bolivian zoo official said Monday.
Ashlee Pfaff, 27, died from a broken neck and other injuries after the big cat named Jorge attacked her while she was inside an employee hallway that opened into his outdoor enclosure on Saturday, the coroner said. A zoo employee shot and killed Jorge when he approached emergency workers trying to save Pfaff.
Jorge — Spanish for George — had been named after President Bush, said Margot Ugarteche, a veterinarian at the Santa Cruz Municipal Zoo of South American Fauna in Bolivia, which sent Jorge to the Denver Zoo.
"Osama was always the more dominant of the two," Ugarteche said. "He was always rough with Jorge. That was the relationship we saw between them.
"Jorge wasn't bad, really," she said. "I don't know what could have happened. Perhaps because he was so well-behaved, the trainer (in Denver) thought she could trust him. But you never know with wild animals."
Denver Zoo officials said zoo policy prohibits keepers and big cats from being in an enclosure together. Jorge should have been locked in before the door to the outdoor exhibit was open.
FOXNews.com