JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens black bear was shot and killed after officials say it attacked a staff member. Jonny, the 5-year-old North American black bear, escaped from its exhibit behind the scenes, made contact and engaged with the keeper, according to a spokesperson.
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It happened in the Zoo’s “Wild Florida” section at around 5:10 p.m. just after it had closed. The staff member was taken to the hospital, but the injuries are considered not to be life-threatening.
“An emergency call went out immediately and our lethal weapons team arrived in seconds, emergency protocols were put in place, the bear was shot and killed,” spokesperson Kelly Rouillard said.
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The bear has been at the zoo since 2017 and was one of two bears there.
A spokesperson said that tranquilizing it wouldn’t have been effective.
“In these types of situations, whether it’s at zoo or out in the wild, it’s standard operating procedure when it comes to protecting safety of humans,” she said. “With a bear of course at that size, we are protecting the human’s life.”
Zoo officials said they’re not exactly sure what happened or how the bear got out, but it’s being investigated. The zookeeper’s specific injuries aren’t known but they are expected not to be severe. The zoo’s spokesperson said they don’t believe there’s video cameras in the location where the incident happened.
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Action News Jax asked what the exhibits where the bears stay in look like.
“Those exhibits have fencing floor to top. They’re outside exhibits but are surrounded by metal fencing,” she said.
Rouillard said it’s disheartening to have to face this type of situation.
“It’s always heartbreaking and something we don’t like to do,” she said. “There’s cases where this happens and we are highly trained, our staff is highly trained to handle these situations.”
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Zoo officials said they will be reporting the incident to its accrediting agency and that this is an active ongoing investigation. Zoo officials say they’ll comply with all the needs of the investigation.
The bear was able to get behind the exhibit when it broke out of its enclosure.
An emergency call was sent out and staff arrived in seconds. The bear has reportedly been shot and the staff member does not have life-threatening injuries.
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As soon as there’s more information this story will be updated.