A KEEPER mauled to death by a tiger was found when her body was spotted by a zoo visitor from a public viewing area, who raised the alarm, an inquest has heard.

Rosa King, 33, who grew up and went to school in Chippenham, was cleaning the windows of the tiger enclosure when she was attacked by a Malayan male called Cicip at Hamerton Zoo Park in Cambridgeshire on May 29 2017.

Nicholas Moss, Cambridgeshire's assistant coroner, said that immediately after the attack two gates and a metal vertical slide, designed to ensure staff and tigers were not in the paddock at the same time, were found open - and the inquest heard they may have been left open by Ms King herself the night before.

Ms King, who was working alone, entered the enclosure shortly before the zoo opened to the public.

Frank York, a visitor to the zoo, saw her mauled body and raised the alarm.

Mr Moss said a police investigation "suggested there was not any mechanical fault with the gates and slides".

Her parents Peter and Andrea King, listened to coroner Mr Moss open the inquest on Monday. The King family are understood to have lived in York Close, off Hungerdown Lane, Chippenham, while Rosa was growing up. They moved some years ago.

Ms King was a pupil at Hardenhuish School and later studied for a National Certificate in Animal Care at Wiltshire College’s Lackham campus. A memorial service for her was held at St Andrew's Church, Chippenham.

Her mum, Andrea, told the inquest this it was clear from the age of two that her daughter would end up working with animals.

She described her as "knowledgeable about all the animals in her care", adding: "She followed her dreams and it wasn't very often you wouldn't see her with a smile on her face."

Ms King, who worked at the zoo for 13 years, did not express concerns about working conditions, her mother said.

"She thought two people working together wasn't as safe as it would be easier to become complacent," she said.

Later in the hearing, head keeper Katherine Adams said she believed Ms King was trying to leave the paddock when she was attacked.

"Where the (cleaning) bucket and everything were, it looked like she was just about at the gate," she said.

She said Ms King was "very safety conscious" but the inquest was told that she may have been tired after helping with night feeds for a serval kitten, a small African cat.

Ms Adams said Ms King was on duty at the tiger enclosure the previous night and may have left open a vertical metal sliding gate designed to ensure staff and tigers were not in the paddock at the same time.

But Ms King was working alone, Ms Adams said, adding: "There's only one person who knows (what happened)."

Two gates used for keepers to access the enclosure, one wooden and one metal, were also found to be open immediately after the attack.

Ms Adams said the protocol was for a keeper to locate the tiger and ensure it was isolated before entering the enclosure.

"The system was foolproof," she said. "It just never entered our heads that it would go wrong.

"If you carried out the protocol and went through every step then you should never put yourself into the situation where you and a cat should be in the same section."

Asked by Mr Moss if there was any reason a keeper would enter the paddock while the sliding gate was open, she said: "No, you just wouldn't."

She said Ms King was "very safety conscious" and "she knew the risks".

Fighting back tears, she added: "She wasn't just a work colleague; she was my best friend."

She added: "I've never had any worries about Rosa and safety procedures. She knew exactly what she was doing."

Ms Adams said the zoo has since introduced a system where a tiger keeper entering the enclosure goes through procedures with a colleague over a handheld radio as they complete each task.

The inquest continues and is expected to last until the end of next week.