Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1570481.015 - Safari West Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

At 11:30 a.m. on December 24, 2021, an employee was working at a private wildlife preserve. She was using short metal tongs with rubber pads and a locking mechanism to feed a caracal, a medium-sized wild cat. When she reached into the fence to offer the animal a shrimp, the locking mechanism was activated. The middle finger on her right hand was locked between the legs of the tongs, and her hand became wedged in the 2-inch by 4-inch (50-millimeter by 100-millimeter) opening in the fence wire. She stated that she thought the animal mistook the end of her finger for a shrimp and bit down on her finger. When she could not coax the animal to release her finger, she pulled her finger from its mouth. This retraction resulted in a wound at the end of her finger. The employee was taken to the emergency room. She received one stitch and oral antibiotics, and she was released. On the following day, December 25, 2021, she returned to work. On December 26, 2021, she felt that the oral antibiotics were not working, and she returned to the hospital. That evening, she was admitted overnight, and she received intravenous (IV) antibiotics. She spent approximately one week in the hospital. The wildlife preserve's executive director reported the incident by telephone to the American Canyon district office at 4:15 p.m. on Monday, December 27, 2021, in compliance with Title 8 CCR �342(a). At 10:15 a.m. on December 30, 2021, DOSH compliance personnel began an investigation at the site.

Keywords: Animal Bite, Animal Handler, Caught In, Fence, Finger, Hospital, Infection, Tongs, Trapped