A married zookeeper couple were viciously attacked by a rhinoceros at Hellbrunn Zoo in Austria early Tuesday morning. The woman did not survive the attack, and her partner was injured during his attempt to save her.
The 33-year-old woman was tasked with putting insect repellent on the rhino’s body to protect its sensitive skin from insect bites, Zoo Director Sabine Grebner shared with reporters.
The reason why Jeti, the 30-year-old female rhino, attacked the zookeeper remains unclear, Austria’s APA news agency reported.
“Maybe there was some kind of irritation. We are deeply upset and shocked,” Grebner shared.
Attempts to resuscitate the woman were unsuccessful. She died on scene, AP reported. Local police are investigating the attack.
Her husband, a 34-year-old man from Austria, was feeding other animals at the time of the attack. He was attacked by the rhino after he tried to chase it away from his wife.
He suffered a broken leg, while his wife passed away from injuries related to severe chest trauma, AP reported. In accordance with Austrian privacy rules, their identities will not be released to the public.
The man, who has worked at the zoo for 15 years, was a trained animal keeper and his wife worked as a certified animal keeper for the past nine years.
The woman was known to be “very careful and thoughtful with the animals, and she had an extremely good sense” when dealing with them, AP reported.
As safety regulations are newly evaluated, the zoo will remain closed Tuesday and Wednesday. No other incidents have been reported at the rhino closure, which was built almost 30 years ago.
Jeti has been cooperative since she first arrived at the zoo in 2009. She has never been boisterous before. Jeti is one of three rhinos at the zoo, APA reported.
“The animals are very cooperative and have been at Salzburg Zoo for a very long time,” Grebner told APA.
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