A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.
The bloody ambush took place in Hamburg's Hagenbeck zoo early last
Saturday morning. A cleaner was busy scrubbing benches when she heard a
rustling in the bushes next to her, the regional paper Express reported. Unconcerned, she continued until the 1.80 metre-long otter poked its head out of the foliage.
On seeing the animal, the unnamed 56-year-old screamed and tried to run
away but fell over - only to be pounced upon by the otter. It bit her
arms and legs so severely that she has been hospitalised.
A nearby zoo keeper and an assistant heard her screams and came running,
only to be leapt on by the otter as well. They wrestled it to the
ground and bound it up, enduring several bites in the process. The zoo
keeper is also in hospital with minor injuries.
One of the cleaning lady's arms is so badly injured that she may never regain full use of it, the paper said.
As well as being monitored for possible blood poisoning, she was put into an artificial coma several times since Saturday.
“We have no idea how the giant otter escaped,” zoo spokeswoman Eveline
Düstersiek told The Local. “Somehow it must have pushed a hole through
the fence, which is strange because the fence is metal.”
Düstersiek said that they did not know which of the zoo's two otters had
attacked the woman, but it was either Beni - the mother of the
enclosure's otter kits, or her mate Marku.
“Giant otters may look cuddly but they are wild animals and can be dangerous,” she added.
Courtesy of Bjorn Krebbers
1 comment:
Jim A.
said...
My first job at the St. Louis Zoo was working in the Aquatic House. We had two adult giant otters in a modest enclosure complete with a small tank (not big enough to call a pool). To clean the exhibit one had to climb a wobbly step ladder and climb in a door about 2' x 2.5'. Felt like Lou Jacobs climbing into his little car. You'd pitch a fish or meat ball to each animal then climb in with a deck brush on a pole. Never heard of them attacking anyone but they did escape into the building a few times (not in my era). I'm sure if excited they could do a good job of chewing on your parts if so inclined.
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1 comment:
My first job at the St. Louis Zoo was working in the Aquatic House. We had two adult giant otters in a modest enclosure complete with a small tank (not big enough to call a pool). To clean the exhibit one had to climb a wobbly step ladder and climb in a door about 2' x 2.5'. Felt like Lou Jacobs climbing into his little car. You'd pitch a fish or meat ball to each animal then climb in with a deck brush on a pole. Never heard of them attacking anyone but they did escape into the building a few times (not in my era). I'm sure if excited they could do a good job of chewing on your parts if so inclined.
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