A giant panda attacked a keeper at the San Diego Zoo on Sunday, March 20, 2011.
According to a Zoo spokesman, Bai Yun (the name of the big Panda) pushed open a gate to separate her from her keeper. When a keeper tried to made the Giant Panda return, she hold his leg in her powerful jaws.
Cal/OSHA listed the incident as an attack and now investigating for. The keeper was seriously injured and he rushed to the hospital for treatment. The keeper's name was not disclosed.
spokeswoman Krisann Chasarik said the agency will review safety procedures at the zoo, whether workers are sufficiently protected from the pandas, and what the zoo does when an employee is injured by an animal. An investigator will examine the scene of the incident and interview other zoo employees, she said.
The investigation, which could lead to a civil penalty, is expected to take months.
Cal/OSHA lacks the authority to tell the zoo how to treat its animals. That authority rests with various state and federal agencies involved with wildlife.
Last year, the San Diego Zoo was fined $2,700 for four safety violations involving an incident in which a keeper fell and fractured her tibia when a zebra became frightened and tried to run away. The keeper was restraining the zebra on a nylon leash.
Bai Yun, one of three giant pandas at the zoo, has been a major attraction since arriving from China in 1996. She has given birth to five cubs.
Despite their cuddly appearance, pandas, in the wild or in captivity, are known for quick changes of temperament that can lead to aggressiveness, zoo officials said.
Bai Yun is back on exhibit, officials said.
According to a Zoo spokesman, Bai Yun (the name of the big Panda) pushed open a gate to separate her from her keeper. When a keeper tried to made the Giant Panda return, she hold his leg in her powerful jaws.
Cal/OSHA listed the incident as an attack and now investigating for. The keeper was seriously injured and he rushed to the hospital for treatment. The keeper's name was not disclosed.spokeswoman Krisann Chasarik said the agency will review safety procedures at the zoo, whether workers are sufficiently protected from the pandas, and what the zoo does when an employee is injured by an animal. An investigator will examine the scene of the incident and interview other zoo employees, she said.
The investigation, which could lead to a civil penalty, is expected to take months.
Cal/OSHA lacks the authority to tell the zoo how to treat its animals. That authority rests with various state and federal agencies involved with wildlife.
Last year, the San Diego Zoo was fined $2,700 for four safety violations involving an incident in which a keeper fell and fractured her tibia when a zebra became frightened and tried to run away. The keeper was restraining the zebra on a nylon leash.
Bai Yun, one of three giant pandas at the zoo, has been a major attraction since arriving from China in 1996. She has given birth to five cubs.
Despite their cuddly appearance, pandas, in the wild or in captivity, are known for quick changes of temperament that can lead to aggressiveness, zoo officials said.
Bai Yun is back on exhibit, officials said.
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