The Palm Beach Post
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It took rescue crews 17 minutes to reach Stacey Konwiser after the zoo keeper was attacked by a Malayan tiger April 15 at the Palm Beach Zoo, according to records obtained by WPTV NewsChannel 5.
Paramedics with West Palm Beach Fire Rescue were forced to wait while the effects of a tranquilizer took hold on the tiger and were not able to begin treatment on Konwiser until 2:12 p.m. A preliminary Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report said the attack began at 1:55 p.m.
A fire rescue crew arrived at 2:01 p.m. but the “tiger still not contained,” a first responder informed a dispatcher. A voice on the transmission can be heard asking for a SWAT team to respond, although that did not take place.
West Palm Beach police arrived also arrived at the zoo at 2:01. At 2:06, the tiger was tranquilized but first responders were kept at bay “waiting for it to take effect and get to the victim.”
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