Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1478344.015 - Erie Zoological Society

Inspection Information - Office: Erie Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:15 p.m. on June 6, 2020, an employee was working as a caretaker at a city zoo. He had opened an access door to an outside corridor between the siamang and orangutan outside enclosures. The enclosures were constructed of 3-in. by 3-in. (76-mm by 76-mm) diamond-design handwoven stainless steel wire mesh material. Upon entering the corridor, the employee left the door cracked open with the keys in the door. He began getting the siamangs into their inside night enclosure from their outside enclosure. The process was prolonged, as one of the siamangs was not going inside. During the process, the employee heard the door move. He turned to see the door opened the entire way towards the orangutan enclosure. The female adult orangutan, Dasa, had a grip on the door. Fearful that Dasa would get the keys, the employee went to the door to retrieve the keys. As the employee reached for the keys, Dasa reached through the wire mesh and into the corridor area. She grabbed the employee's right hand and forearm and began to pull the employee's right arm into the orangutan enclosure. Dasa bit the employee's right forearm near the elbow and also bit down on his right ring finger. The employee freed himself from Dasa and got help. The employee had suffered a bite to his right forearm near the elbow, and a bite to and a fracture of his right ring finger. He was hospitalized.

Keywords: Animal, Animal Bite, Animal Handler, Broken Bone, Elbow, Finger, Forearm, Fracture, Hand