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The Investigative Committee opened a case after the death of the manager of the Taigan Park due to an attack by lions
The Investigative Committee for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol reported that lions killed an employee of the Crimean park "Taigan".
"This afternoon, an employee of the Taigan Lion Park, who has worked in the area for almost 17 years, entered an enclosure with three lions to clean and was unable to close the door bolt between two cages in the enclosure. "The predators attacked the woman, causing her fatal injuries," the department said in a statement.
The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under the provisions of the article on violation of labor safety requirements, which resulted in the death of a person through negligence (clause 2 of Article 143 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
According to the owner and director of Taigan, Oleg Zubkov, the incident occurred between 9:30 and 10 a.m. It turns out that somehow, while the enclosure was being cleaned, the traffic gates from the road fence to the interior, where the cleaning was taking place, opened. The park director noted that the animals could not open the gates and that there were no strangers near the fence.
The deceased Taigan employee was named Leokadia Perevalova, she was the head of the park. The woman's body was discovered by other Taigan employees, but they were unable to save her at that moment. As Zubkov explains, the lions "simply tore her to pieces."
According to a REN TV source, large bite marks were found on the woman’s neck.
According to Zubkov, Perevalova had worked there since the park opened and was one of the most experienced employees, knowing the biographies of all the Taigan lions, tigers and other animals, as well as training other employees in the fight against predators. Telegram channel 112 also reported that managers strictly adhere to safety regulations and can complain about employees who were not vigilant enough.
The deceased's husband believes that the cause of death is most likely related to human activity.
"Maybe they didn't close the door behind him," the man said.
"Lions are the apex predators and are relentless. And some mistake happened," Zubkov said.
This is not Taigan's first case, nor his first criminal case. According to Izvestia, the park director has so far attended 582 court hearings on 70 administrative cases and 6 criminal cases.
In 2020, the Belgorod District Court of Crimea fined Zubkov 400 thousand rubles. If you provide services that do not meet safety requirements. A tourist from Kirov, Olga Solomina, who was bitten on the arm by the lion Vicha in 2018, filed a lawsuit against the director of Taigan.
Solomina ordered a paid service "Walk with a Lion", approached the animal and took a photo, after which the lion attacked her. The park then stated that the woman was drunk and "torn out the lion's mane" and that "the lion's bite was only a warning and did not lead to serious consequences." The tourist himself insisted that he was not drunk. Oleg Zubkov did not admit guilt.
In 2021, the park was again at the center of a scandal. Then, a tiger bit off a one-year-old child's finger. The boy's mother said that the park's fences did not protect visitors in any way. According to Anastasia, she and her son followed the rules and did not cross any barriers. However, the fence mesh turned out to be unreliable. The predator could easily reach the child by jumping on him.
The girl also said there was no nurse at the park and the manager called an ambulance after giving the child first aid at the first aid station.
"The tiger couldn't even stick his paws or claws out over the fence," Oleg Zubkov said. The director of Taigan said the boy's mother was to blame for the incident. It is believed that she brought the child directly into the enclosure.
A criminal case was opened on the fact of the incident. In the summer of 2022, the court ruled that the park fences were equipped with structures that violated safety requirements. Zubkov received two years and three months in a general regime colony and paid a fine of 255 thousand rubles. 616,000 rubles. Compensation to the family of the injured boy. However, the lawyers appealed this decision, and the Supreme Court of Crimea overturned it. In October of the same year, Zubkov was released.
However, in May 2024, Taigan was found guilty in the case, and the court sentenced him to one year in prison with probation. Oleg Zubkov said that his lawyers plan to appeal and find him not guilty in the case.