Man seriously injured by elephant at Belgrade Zoo after stepping into enclosure

Man injured by elephant at Belgrade Zoo

BELGRADE, Serbia — A man was attacked and seriously injured Thursday by an elephant as he rescued his grandchild who had sneaked into the animal’s enclosure at the Belgrade Zoo, doctors and local media said.

The man had several broken ribs and severe injuries to the abdominal area and chest, but was in stable condition after surgery, Belgrade emergency hospital spokesman Drago Jovanovic said.

The attack follows a series of security incidents at the zoo in the center of the Serbian capital.

B92 television identified the man as 65-year-old Miroslav Petrovic. The station reported, quoting witnesses, that the child suddenly crossed over into the elephant’s enclosure. The man went after the boy and managed to lift him out over a wall, but was then hit by the elephant from the back, it said.

State TV later showed footage of a small, fenced section at one end of the enclosure which seemed easily accessible from the visitor’s area. The TV station said the fenced section is usually used by zoo employees to feed the elephant and clean her enclosure.

State TV said the elephant most likely hit the man with her trunk.

The elephant area is partly covered and separated from visitors by a wall and a ditch. The zoo has one female elephant.

Zoo manager Vuk Bojovic refused to comment to The Associated Press, but told the official Tanjug news agency that the man “probably crossed over at the part of the wall that is used to feed the animal.”

Bojovic added that the area is properly secured with warnings to visitors. But past incidents already have prompted calls for the zoo to be relocated out of the city’s center to improve security and to give the animals more space.

Set up in 1936, the zoo went through tough times when Serbia faced international sanctions and widespread poverty during the wars of the 1990s. The situation has improved since, but critics have alleged that the zoo is packed and that the animals lack a more natural habitat.

Still, Bojovic has insisted that the zoo remains where it is, located within a historic walled fortress complex that is Belgrade’s main tourist attraction and thus guarantees a steady influx of visitors. He has rejected any criticism despite some serious incidents.

In September, a baby kangaroo and its mother died after thieves tried to steal them from the zoo. The baby kangaroo escaped into the downtown area and wandered around the streets before it was hit by a car. The mother was found dead in her cage.

In another incident in 2007, the mutilated, lifeless body of a 22-year-old man was found in a bear’s cage. The young man apparently had fallen from a fortress wall above the cage which had no security net over the top. This incident happened while a music festival was held within the fort complex.