Zookeeper loses fingertip while feeding new rhino
Posted on Sunday, July 20, 2008
A keeper at the Little Rock Zoo required surgery Saturday after the zoo’s new black rhinoceros, Naivasha, bit the tip of the keeper’s finger during an afternoon snack of bananas and apples, a spokesman said.
Jayne Hoffman had the tip of her middle finger amputated just below the nail late Saturday after the bite, which occurred about 3 p. m., spokesman Susan Altrui said.
Hoffman was taken to UAMS Medical Center for treatment.
“They removed her finger down to the joint,” Altrui said. “She did not have to be hospitalized.”
Hoffman was feeding Naivasha inside a barn, out of sight of zoo visitors.
“Jayne was feeding her treats — bananas and apples — after she had been moved in,” Altrui said.
“Rhinos don’t have any teeth in front so you have to be very careful about their head moving,” said Altrui, who said Hoffman was following normal zoo procedure.
“Naivasha apparently moved her head at the same time she bit down and caught the tip of Jayne’s middle finger.”
The rhino was not acting aggressively before the bite and won’t have to be isolated. The rhino will be on display today at the zoo, Altrui said.
The 26-year-old black rhinoceros arrived at the Little Rock Zoo last month from Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, and is the rarest animal in the facility.
Naivasha is a potential breeding partner for Johari, the zoo’s 13-year-old male rhino.
“All of our keepers are vaccinated against any diseases they could contract from the animals, and the animals are also vaccinated against anything they could contract from the keepers,” Altrui said.
The Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the zoo is required to file an accident report with the city, Altrui said.
“When it comes time for accreditation, they will look at all the reports filed, and if we have an excessive amount, it could be reflected in their report,” she said.
Altrui said she couldn’t recall the last accident involving a keeper injured by an animal.
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