A routine feeding at the Bronx Zoo turned serious Sunday afternoon when an animal-care worker was bitten by a crocodile and rushed to the hospital with injuries to his left arm.
Police said the incident happened around 2:45 p.m., when the employee was feeding the crocodile and it clamped down on his left arm, according to News12 New York. Emergency crews transported the worker to St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, where he is expected to recover, police told the outlet.
Where It Happened
The Bronx Zoo's World of Reptiles exhibit houses crocodiles along with other large reptiles at the zoo's Southern Boulevard campus in Bronx Park. The exhibit page highlights both the animals and the keepers who care for them, consistent with the zoo's public information on its reptile collection, according to the Bronx Zoo.
Keeper Training And Safety
Modern zookeeping practices place heavy emphasis on staff training, enclosure design and layered safety procedures that limit direct keeper-animal contact, especially during feedings. A 2023 review in the journal Animals outlines common strategies, including positive-reinforcement training and redundant barriers, that are intended to lower the risk of injury while supporting animal welfare. The review also notes how these measures are designed to balance safety and humane care.
News12's initial report on the bite did not include a statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the Bronx Zoo. Beyond the police account described by News12 New York, authorities had not released additional official details on the crocodile or the worker's condition.
