Memphis Zookeeper Bitten by Bengal Tiger is Still Hospitalized

Three year-old Kumari is a 300-pound, butterscotch colored Bengal Tiger. There are only 40 others like her in the entire world. Kumari is rare in another sense: she's the first tiger to ever bite a handler at the Memphis Zoo.

"It wasn't what people would imagine an attack would be," says zoo spokesperson Drew Smith about this weekend's incident.

Smith says Kumari took one nip at her zookeeper's leg early Sunday morning before the zoo had opened to visitors. The attack happened in a private area behind the exhibit where Kumari and four other tigers sleep at night.

"It was a bite to the calf and that was it," says Smith. "It seems like Kumari came up and did a quick bite just to check and see what the zookeeper was and then turned around. Luckily, that was it."

Zoo officials won't release the employee's name, age or the extent of his injury. But the wound was serious enough that the zookeeper has to remain in the hospital for a second night.

"Dang, I bet that hurt," says zoo visitor Ginny Gully. She and her friend Chad Manus drove up from Hernando to go to the zoo on Memorial Day. And like many visitors, they hadn't heard anything about the attack.

"I mean, I wouldn't get close to them," says Gully. "They're cute but, you know, they'll hurt you if you get close."

Monday afternoon, with rows of spectators lined up at the Cat Country exhibit, Kumari got to sink her teeth into something different. Another zookeeper tossed fresh fish to Kumari and two other Bengal tigers. A tasty treat for a tiger who's done something no other big cat has ever done in the zoo's history. In fact, any kind of animal attack just doesn't happen very often at the Memphis Zoo.

"This kind of contact between a keeper," says Smith, "and a keeper getting this injured hasn't happened for over 30 years at the Memphis Zoo. We have strict protocols in place."

Back in 1976, a Memphis zookeeper was kicked in the head by a mother giraffe as she tried to free a baby giraffe stuck in a fence. The zookeeper spent 20 years in a coma before she died.

And in 1960, a panther clawed a zookeeper's hand.

Sunday's tiger attack is still under investigation. But no matter what officials find, Kumari's fate at the zoo has already been decided.

"Kumari is part of the family," says Smith. "And she's going to be at the Memphis Zoo for hopefully, a long time."

The results of the zoo's internal investigation will be shared with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Any changes to policy because of this incident could be used at other zoos around the country to keep employees safe.

Zoo officials say patrons were never in any danger.