Police release 911 calls from bear attack at Jacksonville Zoo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The frantic 911 calls have been released from when the 35-year-old zookeeper was attacked by a black bear at the Jacksonville Zoo.

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The police report said the zookeeper sustained several cuts to her back, thighs and head. One coworker saw it happen, and others tried throwing things at the bear to get it to stop.

The reported added that when the lethal weapons team showed up, the bear continued viciously attacking the zookeeper. The report said that they wanted to wait for the vet team for the tranquilizer gun, but the attack didn’t stop. They said they feared for the zookeeper’s life.

Johnny, the 5-year-old black bear, was shot 4 times with a 12-gauge shotgun and was killed.

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Police said that the enclosure gate was open and went right to the zookeeper. Action News Jax asked the zoo spokesperson about this and was told they are aware of it but are still investigating to understand why and how it happened.

Wednesday, when the attack happened, zoo officials said the bear escaped the exhibit. They said the incident was disheartening.

“Its always heartbreaking and something we don’t like to do,” said the zoo spokesperson, “There’s cases where this happens, and we are highly trained. Our staff is highly trained to handle these situations.”

According to public records, this is the fifth known incident at the Jacksonville Zoo since June 2018. Florida Wildlife Commission is also conducting their own investigation.

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