A 46-year-old zookeeper was left with horrific injuries on her head and body after she was savagely mauled by a 31-stone gorilla that she had raised from its birth.
The zookeeper, who was not identified, was left with 2 broken arms, injuries on her chest, and head after the attack.
The incident happened at Madrid Zoo in Spain on the morning of Sunday.
The animal, a 29-year-old male known as Malabo, broke through 3 doors to get to the indoor facilities of the zoo when the zookeeper was on her usual breakfast routine, said the authorities.
The woman was rescued from the scene and was rushed to the Madrid Clinical Hospital.
She is currently in serious condition.
The Municipal Police of Madrid has taken over the investigation.
Investigators are treating this case as a work accident.
The Madrid Zoo in Spain released a statement about the incident, where they said:
Given the event that occurred this morning with a gorilla keeper from the Madrid Zoo, we share our official note and our wishes for a speedy recovery for this worker. The reasons why the animal was able to access the area are being investigated internally. However, the judicial investigation will determine the exact details. It should be noted that this interior area is for driving, with no exit to the public area and in this sense, the emergency protocol was quickly activated, notifying the Samur emergency team and the municipal police. The zoo team managed to remove the animal and later, the veterinary team anaesthetised the animal with a tranquilliser dart, which was transferred to its interior bedroom and at the moment, it is calm. Note that Malabo has been raised by his caregivers since he was born with a protective behaviour towards the group and close to his caregivers. At this time, the caregiver has a reserved prognosis and the first thing is to wish her speedy recovery. Today, the gorilla facilities will remain closed so that both Malabo and the rest of the group are calm.
The exact condition of the zookeeper remains unknown and doctors are yet to release a statement about her chances of surviving.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim and the victim herself, may she recover from her injuries fast.