Falling tree limbs in Birmingham kills one person Slovakia (AP) — Authorities in Slovakia launched an investigation after a zookeeper was found dead in an animal enclosure Police said an autopsy was being performed to determine the cause of the death and declined to provide further details Slovak TV channel Markiza said the owner of the small zoo in the town of Kysucke Nove Mesto was attacked by a lion while feeding the animal The broadcaster said the man's relatives confirmed the information Local media in Slovakia said the zoo bred lions Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Police shot one lion and one lioness and authorities are considering euthanising all 16 big cats I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Slovakian zoo owner who had 16 big cats has been mauled to death by his own animals Farmer Jozef owned a mini zoo in the town of Kysucke Nove Mesto in Slovakia but he was killed by lions with police only able to find body parts in the enclosure Police shot one lion and one lioness after being alerted to the attack and now authorities are considering euthanising all 16 of the lions and tigers at Ranc Pri Ziline farm Jozef had got permission to breed the big cats, but this had expired in 2019 according to local media reports. Local media reported that the farmer would sometimes feed the big cats himself, although this has not been confirmed. “We received a report that the keeper did not return from the enclosure of exotic animals in the Oskerda district of Kysucky Nove Mesto,” said Zuzana Sefcikova, a spokesperson for Zilina Regional Police. They continued: “All available forces and means were immediately sent to the farm for the purpose of properly securing the scene. “A man’s body was found on the scene, but the exact cause of death will be determined by an autopsy.” A spokesperson for the emergency services, Alena Krcova, added that “parts of a human body were identified at the scene”. Local media also reported that Jozef repeatedly had run-ins with the law since 2017 and faced criticism from animal rights groups. Slovakian authorities are currently deciding what to do with the rest of the big cats, with the Agriculture Minister not ruling out euthanising them. He said: “If such a tragic situation happens, the carnivorous instinct can usually repeat at different times.” Jozef’s zoo was last inspected by the State Veterinary and Food Adminstration in 2021, when it was fined EUR 2,000 (approximately £1,700). The reasons for the fine were unclear. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Rain is expected during the night and on Monday in the west of Slovakia and in Spiš in eastern Slovakia Bratislava police have issued a stern warning to residents to stay away from the Danube River at the Tyršovo and Fajnorovo embankments "Falling into the river poses a severe risk of fatal consequences," the police said on Sunday evening The water level of the Danube in central Bratislava surpassed 8 metres late on Sunday evening As heavy rain continues to batter parts of Slovakia and water levels rise in a number of Slovak rivers and streams several roads have become impassable on Sunday causing widespread disruption to daily traffic The public transport system in Bratislava has also been affected Line 4: Restored in both directions on the Pri kríži - Šafárikovo Square section Replacement bus service X4 operates on the Šafárikovo Square- Zlaté piesky section Line 3: Restored with an extended interval Line 9: Replaced by X9 buses in the Astronomická – Šafárikovo Square section via Obchodná and SNP Square transfer to tram 4 towards Pri kríži The transfer point is Šafárikovo Square None of the tram lines are running according to the regular timetable Source: DPB and most shops in the country are therefore closed resulting in the minimal movement of people 64: Operates in both directions on the Valašská - Hraničná section via Šancová 71: Does not operate in both directions via Miletičova It does not serve the following stops: Miletičova (C) 96: Gradually being restored under limited conditions 29: Runs from the final stop at Malá scéna to the Botanical Garden continuing through Karlova Ves and Dúbravka it follows its regular route to Opletalova Replacement service X29 runs between the Mlynská and Devín Castle stops and 29: Operating between Novoveská and DNV (station) via Vápencova Source: DPB Flooding has affected Bratislavská and Gbelská Streets in Záhorská Bystrica as well as Istrijská Street in Devínska Nová Ves Devínska Nová Ves and Devín are the most affected by the flooding among all Bratislava boroughs The underpass from the Patrónka junction to the zoo was also submerged during the day. Animals at the Bratislava Zoo had to be evacuated, reports Denník N traffic has been diverted from Miletičova Street in Bratislava Istrijská Street in Devínska Nová Ves is difficult to pass Several roadways in the Malacky district are also impassable including access roads to the villages of Borinka and Pernek Other impassable routes include sections from Lozorno towards Rohožník and from Láb towards Vysoká na Morave Traffic on the bridge in the centre of Stupava is being alternately allowed and regulated by police due to the high water level in the stream There are also issues with road passability in the village of Kuchyňa "Traffic restrictions are expected on Monday and movement around the city should be minimised to essential travel only," stated the Bratislava City Hall VIDEO: Flooding on part of the D2 motorway near the Zohor exit heading from Bratislava on September 15 has been closed in both directions since Saturday due to a landslide the diversion route leads through Devínska Nová Ves Bratislava announced on Saturday that it would attempt to arrange a geological inspection of the slope over the weekend together with other authorities and a geologist to restore traffic on Devínska cesta and reopening the road will take several days," the city of Bratislava said on Sunday night Viedenská cesta and Fajnorovo nábrežie (embankment) in Bratislava both remain closed Parking spaces near the river on the Petržalka side of the Danube are also closed Several traffic restrictions have also been reported in the Trenčín and Žilina Regions, in particular in the town of Čadca due to the highly increased level of the Kysuca River with water receding and most roads in the Záhorie region now passable Drivers are still advised to follow traffic signs and police instructions Road II/425 – the bridge at the Lanžhot-Brodské border crossing is closed Road II/590 Skalica-Zlatnícka Dolina and Borský Mikuláš-Lakšárska Nová Ves Road III/1144 Border crossing of Moravský Sv Road II/426 Closed bridge between Holíč and Skalica Road II/501 Cerová-Jablonica: Passable with one lane Road III/1276 Dechtice-Dobrá Voda: Passable with one lane Pernek (line 249 operates only in the Malacky – Pernek section) not all stops in the Záhorie region might be served by regional bus lines Source: Arriva The weather is affecting railway transport in Slovakia as well as in the neighbouring countries trains between Bratislava and Vienna have been suspended until further notice "The RJX 167 (September 15) and RJX 160 (September 16) trains between Bratislava and Vienna have been cancelled. However, the replacement bus service between Bratislava and Marchegg is not affected and will continue as planned," explained Slovakia's national train company Trains through the Čadca border station towards Prague are not running and only operating between Žilina and Čadca with a replacement service Passengers are advised to use connections to the Czech Republic via Púchov Trains through the Vrbovce (Nové Mesto nad Váhom – Myjava – Veselí nad Moravou) border station are running only as far as Vrbovce with services beyond Vrbovce to the Czech Republic cancelled Trains through other border crossings are operating but expect longer delays Extreme weather has also caused widespread power outages in the northern part of central Slovakia Kysucké Nové Mesto and Čadca districts the risk of flooding from ongoing rainfall remains high across multiple districts in Slovakia The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) issued third-degree flood warnings for a number of districts on Sunday the highest level flood warnings are in effect in the districts of Kysucké Nové Mesto the highest alerts for heavy rain are in place for Skalica Rainfall is expected throughout the Bratislava Alerts ranging from first to third degree are also in effect for the eastern Slovak districts of Gelnica "The expectation is that the rainfall will cease in the coming hours but another wave is anticipated during the night," meteorologist Cyril Siman said on Sunday afternoon He noted that new precipitation should be expected on Monday "We ask all residents to prepare an evacuation bag for emergencies and potential evacuation notices, which cannot be ruled out," the town of Stupava, near Bratislava, wrote on Facebook on Sunday morning An evacuation centre in Stupava has been established at the Primary School of Captain Ján Nálepka. Meanwhile, several people have been evacuated in Devínska Nová Ves in Bratislava and around 100 people have been evacuated in the village of Kuchyňa in the Malacky district The Vydrica stream has also overflowed in the popular Bratislava green oasis "Do not enter the forests at this time It is currently very dangerous," the city of Bratislava warned its residents on Sunday night Due to heavy rain, the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava, located by the Danube, is also closed over the weekend The gallery has shared photos of damaged walls on social media A small section of the retaining wall at Bratislava Castle has collapsed due to the current weather conditions The University of Economics in Bratislava has decided to postpone the start of lectures at its Bratislava campuses for the winter semester from September 16 to one week later all kindergartens and primary schools will be closed on Monday due to flooding both the municipal kindergarten and the private primary school will be closed students at the three primary schools will have a day off on Monday kindergartens and the primary school will remain open but there will be a ban on staying in the school grounds due to the risk of falling trees and branches the primary school on Hargašova Street will be closed while the kindergarten classes will remain open The city district of Staré Mesto (Old Town) will leave the decision up to the principals of primary and kindergartens Kindergartens and primary schools in Nové Mesto and Ružinov will be open on Monday the flood wave on the Morava River is expected to be slightly smaller "The situation on the Morava is stabilised thanks in part to the Czech water managers," hydrologist Peter Smrtník said on Sunday "We should not reach the critical levels on the Morava discussed in recent days." Conversely, a higher flood wave is anticipated on the Danube - from Bratislava to the town of Štúrovo - than was recorded at the beginning of June this year Peak levels are expected on the Morava profiles and on the Danube in Devín and Bratislava on Monday/Tuesday reaching level 3 of the flood warning system The Bratislava waterfront is expected to be fully secured against flooding by Sunday evening or Monday morning "The flood barriers around the Tyršovo Embankment [in Bratislava] are expected to be completed by Monday morning before the Danube reaches its peak," said the city The worst hydrological situation was in the basins of the Kysuca (northern Slovakia) and Myjava (western Slovakia) rivers as well as in the smaller basins of the Small Carpathians (western Slovakia) on Sunday the Kysuca River reached a level of 383 cm at 9:45 on Sunday "The water has caused significant damage to property which will affect the operation of schools and educational facilities as well as suburban transport services and the town's overall functioning Bridge connections will be fully restored only following assessments by structural engineers," the town announced on Sunday afternoon The water level began to recede in the afternoon the water level of the Kysuca River dropped to 130 cm Rain doesn't just complicate life for people but for birds as well The organisation SOS/BirdLife Slovakia posted on social media that the rain has severely disrupted the migration of barn swallows and house martins "The situation is critical," the organisation stated on social media urging people not to disturb the birds if they find them on their balconies and to allow them to wait out the rainy period They also requested that people allow swallows access to stables "If you find exhausted individuals on the ground take them home in a box lined with napkins so they can stay dry overnight but they need to be in peace and warmth." VIDEO: The Danube River in downtown Bratislava "The band of heavy rain associated with the wavy cold front and low-pressure system is slowly moving out of our region and currently affects only the southwest," the SHMÚ office said on Sunday morning adding that this band gradually moved through the entire area from the northeast during the night The highest total rainfall since Thursday morning was recorded by the SHMÚ office in the village of Pernek in the Záhorie region – over 350 millimetres The average annual rainfall in the area is around 650 millimetres nearly half a year's worth of rainfall has been recorded meteorologists recorded totals exceeding 200 millimetres Daytime temperatures on Sunday ranged from 13°C to 18°C Meteorologists forecasted a light to moderate northwest wind in the west with gusts occasionally reaching 85 km/h during the night and early morning Light rain will continue in the Small Carpathians in western Slovakia throughout the night The rain is expected to intensify with Monday's precipitation wave particularly in Spiš in eastern Slovakia announced Minister Erik Tomáš (Hlas) The maximum amount of aid per household is €1,500 and may be provided more than once The grant for municipalities is €15,000 Humanitarian aid will be delivered through the labour offices where flood-affected citizens can apply for assistance which is contending with Russia's war on its own soil Hungary and Romania overcome the floods by sending its units of the Ukrainian Emergency Situations Service "Ukraine stands in solidarity with its neighbours who are suffering from devastating floods," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted to social media Home » Two ICE players crack NHL Central Scouting list Two Kootenay ICE players have cracked the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings Goaltender Duncan McGovern is the 22nd ranked player in that position and centre Brad Ginnell is ranked 169th among all skaters The Western Hockey League announced today 43 WHL players have been listed by NHL Central Scouting in advance of the 2018 NHL Draft Heading the list is defenceman Ty Smith (Lloydminster who is ranked 14th among North American skaters Joining Smith in the top 31 are defencemen Jett Woo (20th – Winnipeg / Moose Jaw Warriors) and Alexander Alexeyev (26th – St a total of 18 WHL defencemen land in the midterm rankings / Lethbridge Hurricanes) and Filip Kral (52nd – Bransko / Spokane Chiefs) also landed in the top 60 Centres Milos Roman (40th – Kysucke Nove Mesto Slovakia / Vancouver Giants) and Kyle Topping (64th – Salt Spring Island / Kelowna Rockets) rank highest among the 22 WHL forwards listed / Vancouver Giants) and Duncan McGovern (22nd – Winnipeg / Kootenay ICE) land among ranked goaltenders from North America The Vancouver Giants lead all WHL clubs with five players ranked B.C.) and Alex Kannok-Leippart (190th – Regina Sask.) along with defenceman Dylan Plouffe (208th – Sherwood Park The Calgary Hitmen and Red Deer Rebels sit just behind the Giants each with four players named in the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings The Brandon Wheat Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors each boast three players See the complete Central Scouting list of North American players More on Brad Ginnell More on Duncan McGovern