29-year-old Jude Wijesinghe has been charged with murder following a stabbing incident at the National Zoo & Aquarium yesterday, 18 December.

The sous chef was charged with one count of murder during a bedside hearing. He was refused bail, and will next appear in court on 4 April 2024. Wijesinghe, from Oaks Estate, is currently in hospital being treated for self-inflicted stab wounds.

Emergency services were called to the National Zoo and Aquarium in central Canberra about 12.50pm on Monday after people heard loud screams.

When ACT police arrived, they found a woman dead with stab wounds in a store room out the back of a commercial kitchen.

A knife was found at the scene.

The victim is a 29-year-old woman from the small Asian country of Bhutan who also worked at the zoo.

Wijesinghe is originally of Sri Lankan heritage before moving to Melbourne and then Canberra.

ACT Policing on Monday said it was unknown if the pair were in a relationship.

With AAP