Austria: a couple of zoo workers suffered from a rhino attack – the woman died

In Austria, a female rhinoceros killed a zookeeper, and her husband, who is in charge of feeding the animals, is in hospital with serious injuries.

Tragic incident like reports CNN, occurred at the Salzburg Zoo in Hellbrunn. On September 12th, the 33-year-old caretaker was doing her job in the enclosure as usual. For an unknown reason, the animal attacked the woman and she died on the spot.

Her 34-year-old husband, also a keeper, was seriously injured when he tried to distract the rhino. He was urgently operated on at the University Hospital of Salzburg. Zoo spokeswoman Ulrike Ullmann says:

“We are absolutely shocked and don’t yet know how this happened. Rhinos are usually sprayed with insect repellent early in the morning. This always happens in a protected area.”

Due to a tragic incident on September 13, the zoo was closed. According to the Salzburg-zoo website, it is home to 150 different species and 1,500 animals, including the endangered white rhinoceros. The enclosure is home to two females, Yeti and Tamika, and two males, Tomu and Athos.

According to WWF, white rhinoceroses are the second largest land mammals after the elephant. Adult males can reach 1.85 m in height and weigh 3.6 tons.