Bears attack people at safari park outside Tokyo

A Japanese zoo worker was killed and another injured Tuesday after they were attacked by two bears at a safari park outside Tokyo Tuesday, police said. The two men were moving two bears from a cage to an open display area at the Fuji Safari Park, when they were suddenly attacked, said Shizuoka prefectural (state) Police spokesman Yasuhito Naito.

Zoo worker Tomohito Tamura, 34, was killed, while another staff member Takao Koizumi, 19, was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment, Naito said.

Ruka Hasegawa, another police official, said Koizumi's injuries were not life-threatening. The two bears that attacked the workers were both three-year-old brown bears, Hasegawqa said.

Police are investigating at the steel-fenced park, located in a forest with some cottages scattered nearby in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture (state), 110 kilometers (68 miles) southwest of Tokyo, Naito said.

The zoo was closed to the public following the attacks. Visitors to the park can ride in their own car or a tour bus inside the park, founded in 1984. The park now keeps about 1,000 animals, including 26 bears, 62 lions and 11 tigers, according to the zoo officials, reports the AP. I.L.