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Man in gorilla suit shot with tranquilizer dart when vet confused him for real gorilla | syracuse.com
A bad combination of emergency planning and lack of communication got a Spanish zoo employee shot by a tranquilizer dart meant to take out a 400-pound gorilla.
The 35-year-old man was wearing a gorilla suit as part of an animal escape drill on Monday at the Loro Parque Zoo on the Spanish island of Tenerife, according to*The Daily Mail. Many zoos use an employee dressed in a gorilla suit in these types drills, which help staff prepare for an animal escape.
Unfortunately, not everybody was in the loop.
According to the Spanish newspaper*La Opinión de Tenerife, a veterinarian who had not been informed about the drill spotted the man in the gorilla suit and shot him with a tranquilizer dart, believing a gorilla had actually escaped its enclosure and was running about the zoo.
The dart—meant to bring down a 400 pound gorilla—hit the man in the leg.
He was found in his underwear and flown to a Hospital in the Canary Islands, according to La Opinión.
The*New York Daily News*reported that the man suffered an allergic reaction to the tranquilizer drug, and arrived at the hospital in serious condition.
A zoo statement, shared by the*Daily Star, said he had since recovered and was in good health:
"One keeper in the wild mammals team was accidentally struck by the medical tranquilizer that vets use in these instances...He recovered and is now in good health.
"Loro Parque, like all zoos and animal parks, regularly carries out this kind of emergency drill. The measure is designed to improve security, emergency procedures, and to train staff who work in these enclosures."
According to the Daily Mail, tranquilizer darts are filled with chemicals that vary in strength. They can be used to sedate, anesthetize or paralyze the animal. It was not clear what type was fired at the zoo employee.
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A bad combination of emergency planning and lack of communication got a Spanish zoo employee shot by a tranquilizer dart meant to take out a 400-pound gorilla.
The 35-year-old man was wearing a gorilla suit as part of an animal escape drill on Monday at the Loro Parque Zoo on the Spanish island of Tenerife, according to*The Daily Mail. Many zoos use an employee dressed in a gorilla suit in these types drills, which help staff prepare for an animal escape.
Unfortunately, not everybody was in the loop.
According to the Spanish newspaper*La Opinión de Tenerife, a veterinarian who had not been informed about the drill spotted the man in the gorilla suit and shot him with a tranquilizer dart, believing a gorilla had actually escaped its enclosure and was running about the zoo.
The dart—meant to bring down a 400 pound gorilla—hit the man in the leg.
He was found in his underwear and flown to a Hospital in the Canary Islands, according to La Opinión.
The*New York Daily News*reported that the man suffered an allergic reaction to the tranquilizer drug, and arrived at the hospital in serious condition.
A zoo statement, shared by the*Daily Star, said he had since recovered and was in good health:
"One keeper in the wild mammals team was accidentally struck by the medical tranquilizer that vets use in these instances...He recovered and is now in good health.
"Loro Parque, like all zoos and animal parks, regularly carries out this kind of emergency drill. The measure is designed to improve security, emergency procedures, and to train staff who work in these enclosures."
According to the Daily Mail, tranquilizer darts are filled with chemicals that vary in strength. They can be used to sedate, anesthetize or paralyze the animal. It was not clear what type was fired at the zoo employee.
sent from my Galaxy Tab2
