The grieving family of senior tiger handler Dalu Mncube say he died doing what he loved and would never want the park closed down because of his death.
South African born Dalu leaves behind his partner Sharon Arnott and their one year old daughter Starskea.
Dalu’s Brother in law Trevor Arnott and his wife Roszana say they were regular visitors to the Zion Wildlife Gardens with their two girls.
Mr Arnott says Dalu was a modest, cheerful man who loved his family and was passionate about his work.
"All I can say is that you would never see the man without a smile on his face and I was proud to call him my brother and law," he says.
He says Dalu’s death has affected everyone that knew him and especially his immediate family.
“For the sake of his younger daughter and my sister, it's a real blow to their personal live - for all our lives to tell you the truth," says Mr Arnott.
Dalu’s sister Roszana says her children immediately recognised their ‘uncle Dalu’ on TV and were very upset.
“The kids saw it on TV and they knew it was their uncle Dalu, so I had to deal with them as well as our own pain," she says.
Dalu’s family say he was always aware of the risks involved with his job, but that never stopped him doing what he loved.
Dalu was mauled to death by a white Bengal tiger as he and another handler entered this enclosure to do routine cleaning.
Staff praised the second handler's bravery for repeatedly punching the tiger and then hitting it with a piece of wood as Dalu was being attacked.
Staff eventually resorted to an electric cattle prodder and the attack stopped briefly.
The tiger was then shot dead, taking the total number of white Bengal tigers left in the world to 119.
The incident has also raised serious concerns for the livelihood of the remaining animals in the park.
If the park is closed, it is believed the remaining animals will be put down.
Mr Arnott says Dalu would not have wanted the tiger put down,
“He would have thought nothing less of the animal. Dalu knew they were wild animals and that's what wild animals do,” he says.
MAF are continuing to investigate the scene of the attack –the third incident in just over a year – with questions being raised over the future of the park.
Dalu’s family say they know he would have wanted the park to keep operating.
"He would not have wanted it closed down. That was his life and he loved it," says Dalu’s sister.
Animal rights campaigner Hans Kriek agrees, saying Abu was just doing what tigers do.
“You can't blame him for being a wild animal. It's clearly not acceptable to kill a cat for attacking a human being,” he says.
A death sentence could still hang over the other big cats in the wildlife gardens.
A recent investigation by MAF found the animals were living in unsanitary and crowded conditions.
Conservationist Mark Vette, who has worked with animals at the park, says he fears the worst.
“They could end up putting them all down, and that would be an absolute international debacle, because you're talking about cats where there are 130 of them left in the world,” says Mr Vette.
3 News