BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) — A crocodile “nipped” at a wild animal keeper at the Bronx Zoo, officials said.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. Sunday involving a Malayan gharial, a freshwater crocodile, according to a spokesperson for the Wildlife Conservation Society. The crocodile “nipped” at the keeper’s left arm after they slipped while cleaning the enclosure.
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The keeper was hospitalized with a minor wound that did not require stitches.
Such incidents are not entirely unheard of. In 2025 at the National Zoo, two zookeepers were hospitalized after a binturong attack, according to the Smithsonian. The keeper was weighing the animal when it “bit the staff member and did not readily let go.”
There have been other incidents documented by PETA involving visitors, including a 7-year-old bit by a spider monkey in Michigan in 2024.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.
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