The zookeeper who was severely mauled by a black bear on anxiety medications left a door open, allowing the bear to leave its enclosure, according to new findings released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The attack occurred Dec. 21 around 5 p.m. when a female zookeeper at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens was mauled by Johnny the bear, according to a report citing the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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Staff at the zoo was alerted to an incident between Johnny and a female bear named Claire, and the female zookeeper ran over to check on them. As she rounded one of the exhibit’s corners, she saw Johnny was out of his enclosure and running toward her, she said.
The zookeeper’s radio was not equipped with an emergency alert button, and she was forced to scream as Johnny tore into her, lacerating her head and arms and inflicting severe bruising on her thighs and back, according to the report.
A red alert was soon sounded, and two staff members drove a truck to the enclosure.
Staff members beeped the horn at the bear as they were “yelling, throwing items, and sprayed a fire extinguisher at the bear,” according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Unfazed, the bear bit the zookeeper again and dragged her away.
Recognizing the situation, one of the employees began shooting at Johnny with a Remington 870 shotgun, the findings stated. Johnny stopped his attack, and the employee fired at least three more times, killing the bear, according to the report.
A veterinarian wanted to immobilize the animal chemically, but the employee with the gun disagreed.
“There’s a human!” he said, according to the findings. “There’s a human! He’s eating her!”
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that Johnny was taking anxiety medication and had had all of his canine teeth removed because of damage caused to them by biting the fence.
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Johnny was a wild bear who was taken to the zoo because of his history of seeking out humans for food, according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The zookeeper was given a warning and is recovering from her injuries.
