Zookeeper hospitalized after being struck by rhino's horn, Jacksonville Zoo director says

Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens is investigating what went wrong after a rhinoceros injured a zookeeper with his horn.

Zoo executive director Tony Vecchio said the woman was alert and talking to EMTs before the ambulance rushed her to the hospital Tuesday morning.

ORIGINAL: Jacksonville zookeeper struck by rhino during training, zoo says

Vecchio said it happened shortly after the zoo opened to the public at 9 a.m.

“That’s crazy. I mean, I guess it is part of the job. You’re working with a large animal,” said Amber Weeks, as she visited the rhino enclosure with her kids.

Archie, a 50-year-old Southern white rhino, was allowed back out into his public enclosure with the other rhinos after the incident.

Vecchio said the public was never in danger.

“I feel safe with my kids being here. I don’t feel like they’re at risk or anything, or they wouldn’t be here,” said Weeks.

Vecchio said the zookeeper was injured during routine training to prep the rhinos for medical exams.

“We teach them to open their mouths so we can do dental exams. We teach them to lift up their feet so we can examine how their hooves are doing, or their foot pads. We also train them to allow us to take blood,” said Vecchio.

That training happens in a barn behind the scenes that’s not open to the public.

“Just the nature of the rhino exhibit and barn, the barn is so far behind the scenes that people can’t really see the training going on there,” said Vecchio.

A zoo spokesperson denied Action News Jax’s request to see the barn.

Vecchio said there are no surveillance cameras in the barn.

He said there’s a barrier of vertical and horizontal bars between the zookeepers and rhinos.

“The keepers, they know to treat every animal as if it’s potentially dangerous. So, they don’t -- they’re not particularly friendly with the rhino, with Archie, but he’s a well-liked animal. He has such a good disposition,” said Vecchio.

Vecchio said the zoo’s safety and security chief and its curator will do a full investigation and write a report, including recommendations to improve safety.

The Jacksonville Zoo has put rhinoceros training on hold until the report is complete.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also plans to send investigators to figure out what happened.

Archie has been at the zoo since 1975.

"Archie has a clean personnel file, so he's never done anything out of the ordinary," said Vecchio.
But Action News Jax found out Archie has escaped from his enclosure twice, most recently in 2010.
In both cases, Vecchio said a zookeeper left a gate open and there was nothing aggressive about Archie's escapes.

Action News Jax found out Tuesday’s injury is the second incident this week at the zoo.

On Sunday, tigers wandered out of their usual enclosure on Sunday into a part of the tiger holding area where they weren’t supposed to be.

Vecchio said there were still two barriers between the tigers and the public, and one barrier between the tigers and the zookeeper.

In October, a zookeeper was shocked by an electric fence while trying to escape a close call with a lion.

Zoo leadership said there were no surveillance cameras in the lion exhibit either.

TRENDING: 

• Report: Jacksonville man blames anime for molesting girl in church utility closet
• New tenants coming to Regency Square Mall
• Jacksonville Sheriff's Office makes arrest after deadly shooting near school
• Woman finds prehistoric tooth during walk on beach

STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories

Cox Media Group