Updated
Sydney’s Taronga Park Zoo says one of its keepers who was crushed by an elephant yesterday remains in a critical but stable condition at Royal North Shore Hospital.
Lucy Melo, 40, was injured by the two-year-old male calf during a morning training session.
Paramedics said she suffered severe chest injuries and went into cardiac arrest as they battled to save her life.
She was crushed against a bollard by the zoo’s elephant, Mr Shuffles, and her heart stopped for five minutes before she was revived.
Ms Melo had cared for the elephant since he was born.
The zoo said it was relieved she remains stable.
It said the elephant keepers are continuing normal daily activities with the herd, including Mr Shuffles.
Environment Minister Robyn Parker said the incident was being investigated.
“There’ll be an independent investigation, WorkCover will be involved and there’ll be some more information about that coming soon,” she said.
Asian elephants: Factbox
- Male Asian elephants can weigh more than 5 tonnes and be more than 3 metres tall.
- They are found in India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh and southern China.
- Asian elephants live for up to 70 years.
- They are under threat because of habitat destruction and poaching.
- Taronga has 10 Asian elephants.
- Australia’s first captive-born elephant calf, Luk Chaim was born at the zoo in July 2009.
“At the moment the staff are working very hard to stabilise the situation and find out as much information as they can.”
Ms Parker added that everyone’s thoughts and prayers were with Lucy and her loved ones.
“Our hearts go out to Lucy and her family, and also the zoo family, because they are a very close family, they are all working together,” she said.
Zoo director Cameron Kerr has defended the zoo’s elephant programs.
“I can assure you Taronga’s elephant programs are world standard,” Mr Kerr told reporters yesterday.
“These animals are what we call domestic elephants. These are termed domestic elephants, because they come from families – [they are] brought up with people.
“There’s a very close bond between our staff and our animals.
“Our keepers did act immediately when they saw the incident was going on – they moved the calf away from the keeper that was injured and called the ambulance service.”
Pathi Harn, as Mr Shuffles is formally known, was hailed as the zoo’s miracle elephant in March 2010 when he was born alive after it was believed he was dead in his mother’s womb.
Initially christened Mr Shuffles by delighted zoo staff, the elephant was renamed Pathi Harn – Thai for “miracle” – later that month.
He is one of 10 Asian elephants kept at the zoo.
On its website, the zoo said all its elephants take part in a training program to improve their “physical and mental wellbeing”.
The training involves sessions with zookeepers to teach the elephant how to respond to basic commands.
The zoo said the training also helps the elephants bring positive relationships with humans.
Topics:
zoos,
animal-attacks,
sydney-2000,
nsw
First posted
Source Article from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-20/taronga-zoo-keeper-remains-critical-but-stable/4324464?section=nsw
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