In Austria, a married couple who worked as zookeepers were attacked by a rhinoceros, which resulted in the woman's death while the guy sustained significant injuries while attempting to save her.
The attack took place on Tuesday (local time) at the Hellbrunn Zoo in Salzburg, located in western Austria, according to USA Today.
Rhino Attacks Married Zookeepers at Austrian Zoo
The director of the zoo, Sabine Grebner, explained to the press that the woman, who was 33 years old and a citizen of Germany, was given the task of applying insect repellant to the rhino's body on that particular day since the animal was extremely sensitive to the effects of insect bites.
The female rhino named Jeti attacked the keeper. It is still being determined why the attack occurred. Despite the efforts of those who tried to resuscitate her, the woman succumbed to her injuries at the scene of the accident, according to the Salzburg police.
When the second zookeeper, an Austrian citizen in his thirties who was at the time feeding other animals, tried to get the rhino to leave his wife alone, he was attacked and hurt as well. The woman sustained significant chest injuries, and her husband was brought to a hospital because he had fractured his leg.
In accordance with the regulations concerning the protection of personal information in Austria, the identities of the two zookeepers were not made public. Since 2008, the man has been employed at the zoo as a trained animal keeper, and his wife has been working there as a licensed animal keeper since 2014.
According to the zoo director, she most recently held a position in Munich in Germany. She was known to be very careful and thoughtful with the animals, and she had a perfect sense while interacting with them, according to Grebner, who stated that she had a very good sensibility.
It has not yet been determined how exactly the attack took place. Thus the specific circumstances remain unknown. She stated that every safety standard would be reexamined, and she also mentioned that the enclosure for the rhinos, which had been built about three decades ago, had not seen any accidents in the past.
Grebner said Jeti weighs 1.8 tons and has been a resident of the zoo since 2009. She claimed that the rhino was cooperative and that it had never been rowdy before. In addition to taking on the role of an aunt to the young animals, Jeti became a mother in 2015 and gave birth to a cub, as per Mirror.
Salzburg Zoo's Remarkable Rhino Family
The APA Salzburg Zoo is home to four rhinos, including three females and one bull. According to the APA's report, it stated that all of the rhinos respond to being handled, that they come from outside into the rhino house when their names call them, and that veterinarians can draw blood from them without administering anesthesia.
The attack is being looked into by the police. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the zoo will remain closed to the public, ABC reported.
