Tragic Incident: Zookeeper Fatally Injured by Rhino During Bug Spray Application

In a tragic incident at the Hellbrunn Zoo in Salzburg, Austria, a rhinoceros attacked a married couple who were working as zookeepers. The woman, a 33-year-old German citizen, was assigned to apply insect repellent on the rhino’s body due to their sensitivity to insect bites. However, the 30-year-old female rhino named Jeti unexpectedly attacked her, leading to her death. The man, who tried to save his wife, was also injured and suffered a fractured leg. The reason for the attack remains unclear, with zoo director Sabine Grebner stating, “Maybe there was some kind of irritation.” The incident has left the zoo staff deeply upset and shocked.

The woman sustained severe chest trauma and unfortunately succumbed to her injuries at the scene. The other zookeeper, a 34-year-old Austrian citizen, was also attacked and fractured his leg while trying to chase the rhino away. Both zookeepers have worked at the zoo for several years, with the man being employed since 2008 and his wife since 2014. Prior to working at the Hellbrunn Zoo, the woman was employed in Munich. Zoo director Sabine Grebner described her as “very careful and thoughtful with the animals” and praised her ability to handle them.

According to Grebner, there have been no previous incidents at the rhino enclosure, which has been in place for nearly 30 years. Jeti, the 1.8-ton rhino, has been at the zoo since 2009 and has always been cooperative and well-behaved. She even took on the role of an aunt to the young animals and gave birth to a cub herself in 2015. Salzburg Zoo has a total of four rhinos, including three females and one bull. Grebner emphasized that all the rhinos at the zoo are cooperative and respond to handling, even coming when called by their names. Vets can even take their blood without anesthesia.

(Read more animal attack stories.)