Tiger that fatally mauled Palm Beach Zoo employee dies in surgery

Hati stopped breathing during second surgery for 'irritations in his guts'

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A Malayan tiger that killed a Palm Beach Zoo employee last year has died in surgery for an intestinal condition.

The Palm Beach Zoo's associate curator Nancy Nill said in a news release that 14-year-old Hati underwent surgery last week for "irritations in his guts." The tiger stopped breathing during a second surgery Thursday and couldn't be revived.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.

The 350-pound tiger, who was known to be aggressive and territorial, mauled zookeeper Stacey Konwiser on April 15, 2016, after she walked into the night house where the tigers sleep and eat.

A state report released in October blamed Konwiser, 37, for not following established safety procedures and exonerated the zoo of wrongdoing.

State wildlife investigators said a warning sign on the door showed that Hati wasn't locked up but, for an unknown reason, Konwiser entered anyway.

Zoo policy required that she carry pepper spray on her belt for self-defense, but she didn't have any, the report said.

Nill said Hati has suffered from a range of illnesses since April.