India, April 19 -- A zookeeper at the Delhi Zoo was mauled by a leopard on Tuesday while attempting to transfer the animal from its cage to a public enclosure, a zoo official said on Friday. The incident occurred amid staff shortages and misallocation, with the zookeeper, who has experience only with herbivores, being asked to handle a carnivore, they added.

"The person assigned to take care of a leopard named Bunty, who had come from Chhattisgarh in an animal exchange, was actually used to handling herbivores. Moreover, he was actually a general worker. Keeper and assistant keeper are supposed to be primarily responsible for taking care of the animals for the safety of all, while the gangman and the attendant are not supposed to be at t...