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A National Zoo zebra got snappy with his zookeeper and bit him this morning. There aren’t many details available, but zoo spokeswoman Annalisa Meyer said the zookeeper was conscious but bleeding when he was taken to the hospital this morning.
Zebras are considered dangerous animals, and it’s not typical for a zookeeper to enter their enclosures. Meyer says the zoo is currently investigating the incident to learn why the keeper was with the zebras.
Update: A gazelle that witnessed the biting died as a result of the violent incident. According to a zoo press release, a 1-year-old male Dama gazelle named Tony died this morning, likely because he was spooked by the incident and ran into a barrier. Initial necropsy reports show that he might have suffered a fractured vertebrae.
Photo by James F Clay via Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0