Wolves maul zoo employee to death in Sweden

An employee of a Swedish zoo has been mauled to death by a pack of wolves, according to reports.

Witnesses reported that a woman entered Kolmården Zoo’s wolf enclosure and was swiftly surrounded by a pack of the animals.

Eight wolves set upon the woman at 11am this morning with emergency services unable to provide assistance because of fears for their own safety.

“You can't just go into a pack of wolves. Police and ambulance staff couldn't get close to the victim until later,” said Jan Tengeborg, Norrkoping's emergency services coordinator.

Local papers claimed that staff were attempting to give the wolves sedatives so that the ambulance crew could provide medical attention.

Olof Liberg, an expert in wolf behavior at Sweden's University of Agricultural Sciences, told Swedish news agency TT: "It's very unusual for something like this to happen, but it has happened before."

"Zoo animals aren't afraid of humans and accidents can happen."

The 30-year-old woman has not yet been named but zoo officials say she had worked there for three years and had looked after the pack of wolves since they were puppies.

They added that no decision had been made to kill any of the wolves involved.