(CNN) A two-year-old boy has been killed by a leopard in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

The leopard killed the toddler, who was the child of a staff member at the national park, on Tuesday night at his living quarters in the park, a spokesperson for the park confirmed in a statement.

The boy was taken to hospital in the nearby town of Shongwe by family members after the incident but was pronounced dead by doctors.

The incident was "tragic" and "very rare," the park spokesperson said, adding that "in parks like the KNP predators do interact with tourists and staff."

This could lead to a "change in natural behavior" in the animals, which could result in "unfortunate incidents such as this."

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