BENGALURU: A 47-year-old zoo staffer sustained grievous injuries in the face after being attacked by a leopard at the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) rescue centre on Friday. He underwent facial surgery on Saturday.
The injured, Shantappa, was scratched by the leopard when he was cleaning the animal's enclosure. Zoo officials said that animals are shifted to a different enclosure as a safety measure while cleaning. Shantappa reportedly went close to the enclosure, and the leopard pawed at him through a gap.
BBP Executive Director AV Surya Sen said Shantappa has been handling leopards for several years and is experienced and cautious. “All animals and staff are vaccinated. The chances of any disease transmission have been ruled out. This is the first such incident in recent times. A similar attack occurred a couple of years ago when a tiger injured a zookeeper,” he said. Sen said the management is bearing all medical expenses and that Shantappa is being treated at a private hospital in Jigani.
According to data, the rescue centre houses 80 leopards, while 21 are in the zoo’s safari area. Jayamma, Shantappa’s wife, said, “He was earlier attacked by a gaur. He is the sole breadwinner of our family.” She demanded that the zoo management regularise his employment and provide financial security to contract workers.