On Tuesday, an attack by a rhinoceros on a married couple working as zookeepers in Austria resulted in the death of the woman and serious injuries to the man who tried to save her, according to police.
The assault took place at the Hellbrunn Zoo in Salzburg, which is in western Austria.
Since rhinos are extremely sensitive to insect bites, the 33-year-old German lady from Bavaria was given the task of applying insect repellant to the rhino’s body that day, according to zoo director Sabine Grebner.
Grebner told Austria’s APA news agency that Jeti, a 30-year-old female rhino, assaulted the keeper, although it was unclear why.
After unsuccessful attempts to revive her, Salzburg police reported that the woman “succumbed to her injuries at the scene of the accident.”
When he attempted to shoo the rhino away from his wife, the second zookeeper, a 34-year-old Austrian national who was feeding other animals at the time, was also attacked and hurt.
According to the APA, the woman sustained significant chest injuries, while her husband was transported to the hospital with a fractured leg. In accordance with Austrian privacy laws, the names of the two zookeepers were withheld.
The man has been a qualified animal keeper since 2008, and his wife has been a registered animal keeper since 2014.
She formerly worked in Munich, according to the zoo director. She was renowned for being “very careful and thoughtful with the animals, and she had an extremely good sense” while handling them, according to the zoo director.
Grebner stated that it was yet unknown exactly how the incident took place. She speculated that perhaps there was some annoyance. “We are shocked and extremely upset.”
She said that there had been no prior issues at the rhino enclosure, which had been set up about 30 years ago, and that all safety measures would be reevaluated.
Grebner stated that Jeti has been a part of the zoo since 2009 and weighs 1.8 tons. She claimed that the rhino was kind and had never been rowdy. In 2015, she gave birth to a cub and assumed the role of an aunt to the young animals.
According to the APA, the Salzburg Zoo is home to one bull and three female rhinos.
The animals at Salzburg Zoo are well-behaved and have been there for a very long time, according to the zoo director.
She claimed that every rhino responds to handling, comes inside the rhino house when called by name, and can have their blood drawn without the need for anesthetic, according to the APA.
The news agency reported that the police are looking into the attack. The zoo will not reopen.
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