Any news on how the keeper is doing now? And on how that could happen? And, what is meant with "enclosure", was the keeper found inside the house or outside?
Isn't it surprising that no media details of how this happened by now? Keeper injuries need to be addressed openly and honestly to allow zoo advocates to continue to engage millennialis and others as supporters of zoos.
Something tells me we may not hear any more publicly about this. Zoos frequently try to kill this sort of story if they can- if the keeper recovers okay and the story becomes forgotten, and also they may be able to say they can't release further details while the investigation is 'ongoing'- and then later not do so at all, or only internally within the Zoo. The last major incident at Whipsnade was a few years ago and involved the escape of two adult, fairly old Chimpanzees, of which the male had to be shot. Despite, presumably, an investigation into how they got out, I don't think(I may be wrong of course) the exact cause of the escape was ever made public.
imagine if this had happened at South Lakes or Twycross the conspiracy theories would have taken up 8 pages alone but as yet not one.
In the case of South Lakes, it would have been discussed at great length because of what has gone before there in the way of accidents. I think(?) Twycross have a pretty clean record regarding safety- a keeper was killed by an Elephant there many years ago but I know of nothing like that since. The more recent elephant 'beatings' weren't a safety issue and seemingly not proven anyway.
They certainly weren't proven,in fact if they had 2 of the keepers most certainly wouldn't be back working with Elephants again!!!! Yes Twycross has a pretty good safety record,but like most zoo's when something goes wrong they like to keep things quiet! As for South Lakes its record speaks for its self!
Unfortunately the man is still seriously ill and so until he has recovered fully know body knows 100% what actually happened. Hopefully he recovers well
Very likely. There are only two air ambulances to cover the whole of the East Anglia region (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, probably other nearby counties too). Wishing the keeper good and speedy recovery.
ZSL will face no further action over this incident: Whipsnade Zoo: 'No action' over injured rhino keeper - BBC News An investigation into how a zookeeper was seriously injured by a rhino at Whipsnade Zoo has been unable to establish the cause. The man was found by colleagues in water at the zoo, near Dunstable, last November. Central Bedfordshire Council said it would not release its full report but officials had concluded no further action was needed. The zoo said it would continue to work on health and safety procedures. 'Immersed in water' The keeper, who is in his 50s, was found in the Asian rhino enclosure with injuries to his chest, abdomen and pelvis. Paramedics kept him warm after his body temperature had dropped considerably from being immersed in water. He was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge in a "serious" condition. The zoo said it would not comment on the keeper's health or medical history as that is "a private matter" But it had "worked closely" with the council during the investigation and "would continue to work with them on all aspects of health and safety", a spokesperson said. A council spokesman said its public protection officers had conducted a "lengthy investigation and review" which considered evidence from "all key parties and witnesses" and concluded no further action was necessary. "[We have] offered advice and recommendations around improving policies and procedures," he said. The authority said it would not be releasing more details as much of the information obtained was "subject to strict disclosure rules".
How is that any different to AA telling their supporters to comment? I'm not the biggest fan of zoos but I think point scoring over a very serious incident is a bit distasteful. Saying this was 100% preventable is like saying to a Prego teenager that if she just abstained she wouldn't be in that position. It's pointless and smacks of someone that likes the sound of their voice too much. I hope the guy recovers quickly. I also hope there are no repercussions for the rhino, even if it was deliberate and the rhino charged him on purpose these are wild animals that is their instinct. It's a risk you take when you go in with such powerful animals, work with rabbits or something if you aren't prepared to take the risk. As for if this was another collection it would be one of several incidents and the owner would be making up excuses why it most definitely wasn't his fault
Nine months on, it seems its being kept confidential now. The keeper must have explained what happened but no details whatsoever about the circumstances have been released.
From what I can recall, just after the incident, the family of the keeper asked for privacy and I believe that their wishes have been respected. It may be that the keeper had a " black out" and has no real recollection of what actually happened.
