Bronx Zoo animal keeper bit by crocodile inside enclosure

A Bronx Zoo animal keeper was hospitalized after being bitten by a crocodile at the wildlife center on Sunday afternoon. A 38-year-old male zookeeper was feeding the reptile around 2:45 p.m. on May 24 when he sustained a small bite to his left arm. The zoo said the keeper was cleaning an enclosure and, after slipping, was nipped in the forearm by a small tomistoma, a freshwater crocodilian. Police reported the keeper was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition. The zoo said the keeper was treated and released for a minor wound that did not require stitches. The tomistoma is native to Malaysia and Indonesia and is classified as endangered by the IUCN.

"A Bronx Zoo animal keeper was hospitalized after being bitten by a crocodile at the wildlife center on Sunday afternoon, police said. According to law enforcement sources, a 38-year-old male zookeeper was feeding the reptile at around 2:45 p.m. on May 24 when he sustained a small bite to his left arm. Police said the keeper was brought to St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition."

"A zoo spokesperson told amNewYork in a statement that the keeper was cleaning an enclosure, and after slipping, was nipped in the forearm by a small tomistoma, a type of freshwater crocodilian. The zoo spokesperson said the keeper was treated and released for a minor wound that did not need stitches."

"The tomistoma, native to Malaysia and Indonesia, is classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources."

Read at www.amny.com