Joaquin Gutierrez Arnaiz, 44, was hit by a 4,000-ton (4.4-ton) African elephant at the Cabarceno Nature Park in Cantabria, northern Spain, on Wednesday.
Guttierez Arnaiz was rushed to Marques de Valdecilla Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
At the time of the accident, staff were cleaning the elephants’ compound.
The local police, the civil guard and the zoo are investigating the incident.
Cantabria Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Lopez Marcano told Spanish media in a statement that the elephant that struck Guttierez Arnaiz had a foot infection and was probably pregnant.
The keeper was in the outdoor patio, washing the surfaces and watching the animal’s foot heal. The elephant was with her calf at the time.
“We are talking about highly unpredictable animals,” Lopez Marcano said, adding, “The power of the strike was enormous, on a scale none of us could survive.”
He blames the events due to a lack of caution. “From the beginning, it was an accident caused by someone who had to be trusted at a fatal moment,” he said.
“This is the only reason why a tragedy like this can occur in certain circumstances,” Lopez Marcano added.
According to the regional government of Cantabria, this is the first fatal accident in the zoo’s 30-year history.