Rhino kills female zookeeper and seriously injures her husband co-worker as he tries to save her at Austrian zoo
- A woman, 33, was declared dead after she was injured by a rhino in its enclosure
- A 34-year-old male keeper was also attacked as he tried to scare the animal away
A rhino crushed a zookeeper to death and severely injured her co-worker husband as he desperately tried to save his wife, Austrian media reports.
The 33-year-old woman is thought to have been trying to apply insect repellent when she was fatally injured by a 1.8-ton rhinoceros called Yeti at the Hellbrunn zoo in Salzburg.
The incident happened during the morning rounds in which the animals are fed, Salzburg Hellbrunn Zoo director Sabine Grebner told a news conference.
‘We do not know exactly how it happened,’ Grebner said, adding that the female zookeeper who was killed had suffered chest injuries.
The female zookeeper, a German from the state of Bavaria, was very experienced and specialised in rhinos, while her male colleague was in charge of animal feed.
The 33-year-old woman is thought to have been trying to apply insect repellent when she was fatally injured by a 1.8-ton rhinoceros called Yeti (pictured)
Situated in the gardens of the Hellbrunn Palace, the Salzburg Zoo houses 1,500 animals and attracts over 400,000 visitors per year
The zoo said it would remain closed on Tuesday following the incident, with police at the scene
While trying to scare the animal away, the 34-year-old male keeper was attacked by the same rhino and seriously injured.
He was rushed to hospital and his life is not in danger. The female keeper was declared dead 7.04am (0504 GMT).
The rhino involved was a female called Yeti, Grebner confirmed, adding that all the rhinos at the zoo have been there a long time and are cooperative with their keepers.
Salzburg police said in an earlier statement that while in the rhino enclosure, a keeper was attacked by the animal ‘for reasons that are still unknown’.
The rhino involved was a female called Yeti, Grebner confirmed, adding that all the rhinos at the zoo have been there a long time and are cooperative with their keepers
‘The woman succumbed to her injuries at the scene of the accident,’ a police spokesperson said.
The zoo said it would remain closed on Tuesday.
Situated in the gardens of the Hellbrunn Palace, the Salzburg Zoo houses 1,500 animals and attracts over 400,000 visitors per year.