The mother of zoo-keeper Rosa King, who died after a tiger entered an enclosure at a Cambridgeshire wildlife park, said her daughter was dedicated to her job and "it's what she had always loved".
Miss King, 33, died at Hamerton Zoo Park, near Huntingdon, at about 11:15 BST on Monday.
Her mother Andrea King paid tribute saying "she wouldn't have done anything else, it's what she has always done".
The tiger that killed her has not been put down and was unharmed, police said.
The zoo described the keeper's death as a freak accident, and police said it was not suspicious.
Miss King's friend Garry Chisholm, a wildlife photographer in his spare time, said she was the "focal point" and "shining light" of the wildlife park.
Peter Davis, who was at the zoo with his family, said he had heard a "commotion" near the enclosure where Ms King was attacked.
"There was a guy at the enclosure where the incident happened and he came running past me. He was taking photographs so he ran off to get some help for something, we didn't know what.
"The next minute half a dozen zoo keepers came running down to the enclosure."
He said he heard one of the zoo keepers screaming.
"One of the girls, we just heard her scream. And one of the girls shouted 'run'. So a few of us ran into one of the zoo keepers' small rooms by the closure," he said.
Another visitor to the zoo, who did not wish to be named, told the BBC: "We were close to the tiger enclosure when a member of staff shouted for everyone to leave the park quickly and immediately."
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said: "A tiger had entered an enclosure with a keeper. Sadly the female zoo keeper died at the scene."
Visitors were led away from the zoo. At no time did the animal escape from the enclosure, said police.
Officers investigating the death said it was "not believed to be suspicious", and that the tiger involved was "believed to be fine".
Originally published on BBC
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