Lion tears off zookeeper's arm
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,52689,00.html
Surgeons Unable to Reattach Florida Zookeeper's Arm After Lion Tears It Off
TAMPA, Fla. — A young Busch Gardens zookeeper made a minor mistake that came with major consequences.
First-year zookeeper Amanda Bourassa, 21, stuck a finger into a lion's cage shortly after handling meat. The 364-pound African lion named Max grabbed her finger, clamped down on her arm with his powerful jaws and severed it at the elbow.
Surgeons were not able to reattach Bourassa's arm following the Sunday attack. Bourassa was in good condition Monday at Tampa General Hospital, spokesman John Dunn said.
"These are still wild animals, and they behave like that," said Glenn Young, the park's vice president of zoological operations. Young said zookeepers are forbidden from sticking their hands into animals' cages.
The attack occurred outside the view of tourists as Bourassa was giving a private tour available only to zookeepers' family members.
Bourassa had been feeding the animal meat as part of a routine training exercise minutes before she was bitten, investigators and park officials said.
Bourassa and three other more experienced handlers had been performing a routine training exercise with Max to encourage good behavior during routine health checkups.
The lion was called to the cage's bars and ordered to lie down with his tail extended through the bars, a position needed to safely draw blood from the animal's tail for health screenings, Young said.
No blood was actually drawn in the training session, and Young said the animal wasn't agitated.
During the training exercise, Bourassa rewarded the animal by tossing him bits of meat through the bars spaced 1 inches apart, Young said. Max has undergone such training since he arrived at Busch Gardens in 1997 as part of its "Edge of Africa" exhibit.
With the exercise completed, Bourassa sat down in a chair next to the cage. As she stood up a few moments later still wearing a latex glove used during the feeding on her right hand, she looped one lone finger around a bar, witnesses told investigators.
"That was enough to start the initial bite, and once it gets a hold it could have pulled her in," said Lt. Steve DeLacure, who is investigating the incident for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. "It could have been avoided if her arm hadn't been there," he said.
Bourassa was rushed to the hospital along with her severed arm, which the lion had left on the floor of his cage. Her distraught parents and about a dozen family members and friends gathered at the hospital. They declined comment and have asked that reporters not contact them for interviews.
Young said the 118 zookeepers employed by the park become very familiar with the animals in their care. He said a zookeeper's duties include feeding, cleaning and general maintenance.
While he is not considered a tame animal, Max has been touched by his zookeepers before and responds to them when they call him by name.
"There is a relationship between the zookeepers and this animal," Young said.
Busch Gardens officials said the 12-year-old lion would not be destroyed, but said the amusement park's safety policies would be reviewed.
State wildlife investigators found no violations during an inspection of Busch Gardens on Monday.
The theme park suspended the private tours, and Max was not put on display, Young said.
Otherwise, the park was operating normally as the investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture continues.