A tragic incident unfolded at Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Ranchi, India, when a 54-year-old zoo caretaker was fatally mauled by a hippopotamus. Santosh Kumar Mahto was attacked while attempting to remove a newborn calf from the hippo’s enclosure for feeding, resulting in critical injuries that led to his death on Sunday at a local private hospital.
The mother hippo, in a protective stance, attacked Mahto, causing severe injuries. The zoo authorities covered the cost of his medical treatment. Jabbar Singh, the zoo director, expressed his condolences and assured that efforts would be made to secure employment for a member of Mahto’s family.
The incident sparked outrage among the zoo’s 112 caretakers, who responded by closing the park’s main gates in protest. They demanded better safety measures from the zoo authorities to prevent such incidents in the future.
According to reports, Mahto sustained multiple injuries during the attack, including several crushed limbs. This incident marks the second fatal hippo attack in India since December.
In the previous incident, a 40-year-old caretaker at the Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden in Uttar Pradesh was killed while cleaning the hippo’s enclosure. Despite the hippo being secured behind a gate during the cleaning process, it managed to break free and charge at the worker, resulting in his death. Another worker was injured in the same incident but survived.
These incidents highlight the potential dangers faced by zoo workers and the need for improved safety measures. The zoo authorities are yet to comment on the measures they plan to implement in response to these tragic events.