The popular gorilla Malabo of the Madrid Zoo seriously injured his 46-year-old caretaker on Sunday morning. The unfortunate employee was hospitalized after the attack with head injuries and several fractures in her chest and arms.
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When entering the gorilla enclosure, the woman was completely surprised by the 200-pound gorilla, which should not have been in that room. The 29-year-old male must have worked his way past – or through – three closed doors, the Spanish media reports. The victim had been caring for Malabo for years, since childhood.
“He shook her up,” said María José Luis, spokeswoman for the zoo. “But he didn’t use the full force you’d expect from a 200-kilogram animal. All security protocols went off and the police and a team from the zoo were notified. ”
Fire extinguishers
Malabo was probably surprised by his caretaker when he wanted to eat, the spokeswoman said. The zoo speaks of a “human error”. One of the maxim is that Malabo does not like to be surprised before eating.
Colleagues managed to expel the gorilla with the help of fire extinguishers. After the caretaker was rescued, the beast was finally knocked out with a tranquilizer dart and taken away. The gorilla enclosure is closed to visitors all day.
Papfles
The Malabo caretakers are surprised by the attack. The animal was raised in the zoo on the baby bottle and is “very loved” by the staff and visitors. “He has a peaceful character, is the protector of his group and is attached to his caretakers,” said the Spanish newspapers. “But the reactions of these wild animals remain unpredictable.”
The woman’s condition is described as serious, but according to the zoo could be even worse. “The first blow from a gorilla can be deadly. This was not the case in this situation. ” Madrid police are investigating the matter.
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