Cincinnati Zoo employee loses part of thumb after primate bite – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The Cincinnati Zoo said a Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden employee’s thumb was partially amputated after a bonobo attack during a morning feeding Friday.

The employee’s condition was stabilized at the hospital and is undergoing treatment, the zoo said in a statement on Friday.

The zoo said the bonobo chewed through the protective netting while a primate care worker was giving the animals food and medicine during morning rounds.

It was unclear whether the primate came into contact with the worker bee or whether the injury occurred from the barrier.

The zoo stressed that it happened “behind the scenes” at the Jungle Trails habitat, which it said was home to 10 bonobos last year.

“The incident occurred behind the scenes and no other staff, guests or animals were involved or injured,” he added.

The zoo said there was no violation and there were no employees in the main habitat.

A zoo spokesman said the Jungle Trails habitat was closed for the day but was scheduled to reopen on Saturday.

“The zoo is analyzing details to understand what led to the incident,” the institution said in its statement.

The zoo did not determine which animal was involved in the incident.

According to the zoo, on September 8 at the center, Gilda, an 18-year-old bonobo, gave birth to a boy. September 30 at the zoo published video a couple appearing publicly in their environment for the first time.

The bonobo is a primate closely related to the chimpanzee.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources lists the bonobo as an endangered species whose population is declining due to development, civil unrest and mining in its native Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The nonprofit Bonobo Conservation Initiative said it was difficult to obtain reliable population estimates. “There are only 15,000 bonobos alive today,” it continued his website.

Bonobos, often organized around women’s leadershipthey are considered more peaceful, intelligent and empathetic than other primates. Because they are the last great apes discovered by humans – they were officially recognized as a species in 1929 – researchers are still making discoveries and hope to make more.

A key potential insight is what bonobos can teach researchers about humans. According to the study, primates share 98.7 of their DNA with humans, making them our closest relative in the animal kingdom. Global Wildlife Fund.

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