AN inquest into the death of an animal keeper mauled by a tiger at a local zoo, has heard claims that there was a ‘defective bolt’ in the tiger house which would have made it ‘unlocked’.

Sarah Louise McClay, 24, from Barrow, was killed in an attack by a Sumatran tiger at the South Lakes Safari Zoo in Dalton-in-Furness, on May 24, 2013, the hearing at County Hall in Kendal heard.

Coroner Ian Smith, reading from the post mortem of HM Pathologist Alison Armer, said Glasgow-born Miss McClay died of ‘multiple injuries’ having suffered deep puncture wounds to the left and right sides of the neck, and to the back of the neck, back of the body, the right arm, left arm, and left foot.

Miss McClay, who it was said had worked at the zoo for around two to three years, also suffered fractured ribs and that her injuries were ‘unsurvivable’, said Mr Smith, reading from Ms Armer’s post mortem report.

Some abrasions and marks were also consistent with Miss McClay being 'dragged', the Home Office pathologist found.

Giving evidence, Owen Broadhead, a senior environmental health officer for Barrow Borough Council, said he was the first attending officer from the local authority after the incident.

He explained that within the Tiger House, access for keepers worked via metal entry and exit doors and that ‘on the day there was an issue with the bolt at the top and the bolt wasn’t able to be held back’.

The ‘defect’ was said to be on Door D2 - which provides access into an area for the tigers called the ‘Dark Den’ – which is also close to two public viewing windows.

However, Paul Rogers, counsel for zoo owner David Gill, asked Mr Broadhead: “You said there was a defective bolt? It’s fair to say your inspection of it was the day of the accident – some hours after the incident had happened.

"There had been quite a lot of activity in that area at the time after Sarah was attacked. We don’t know when that bolt became damaged..all we can say is that some hours after it was found damaged.”

Mr Broadhead replied: “Yes.”

After a question from a juror, Mr Broadhead later explained the significance of the ‘defective’ bolt - saying: “It would be sitting in its frame and wouldn’t be locked.”

He added: “It left a gap of say 20 to 25mm – if the bolt was working properly it would close tightly into the frame.”

Zoo owner David Gill attended today’s hearing and sat impassively behind his legal team throughout.

Having sworn in the jury of six woman and four men, Coroner Ian Smith told them: “It’s not a trial or about civil liabilities or things that’s happened, it’s fact-finding, it’s an inquiry, it’s a hearing – not a trial.”

Giving evidence, Fiona McClay, Ms McClay’s mother, described her daugher’s role at the park as an ‘animal carer’.

“It was her dream job, it would be fair to say,” said Mrs McClay, sitting next to her late daughter's long term boyfriend, David Shaw. 

“Ever since she visited the park as a young child. It was her privilege to work with big cats.

“She would not have blamed the tiger for what happened,” she added, saying her daughter would not take shortcuts and had not done so in life or her schoolwork.

“Sarah was a meticulous person to the extreme," she said.

The jury will today visit the zoo and explore the Tiger House.