A 62-year-old zookeeper died this morning after an Asian elephant called Patience charged at him in her enclosure as he fed her.
Tragic: Senior zookeeper John Bradford was killed by a charging elephant
John Phillip Bradford, elephant manager at Missouri’s Dickerson Park Zoo, had been with two other keepers in the animal’s barn at about 8.45am when the incident happened.
It is not yet known what caused the 6,000lb elephant to attack her keeper, who had worked at the zoo for 30 years.
However, the elephant had a history of aggression, which is why Mr Bradford was accompanied by other keepers while in her enclosure, according to ABC News.
‘The elephant charged at him,’ city spokesman Cora Scott said, adding that police were interviewing his co-workers to try to find out what happened.
Mr Bradford, who had worked with the animals for 25 years, died of his injuries before medical assistance arrived.
He had no immediate family but his brother, who lives in a different state, has been notified, according to KOLR10.
Assistant zoo director Mike Crocker said in a statement: ‘This is very sad day for the zoo family, as well as our community as a whole.’
The zoo has not said what will happen to Patience, who has lived at the popular attraction since 1990.
Last week the zoo had to euthanize Connie, another of its elephants thought be be 50 years old, because she had lost nearly 1,000lb through kidney disease, according to NBC News.
Mr Bradford had previously spoken of the dangers involved in working with elephants, saying in 2010: ‘There’s an inherent risk in working at a zoo.’
He added: ‘If the situation calls for it and an animal is in need with direct contact with keepers, we assess the situation and determine if it’s an acceptable risk or not.’
The veteran zookeeper had explained that a safety barrier helped protect staff from coming too close to the animals, but added that there will still times when they needed to get close.
He added that when keepers first noticed aggression among their elephants when a calf died.
One of Mr Bradford’s colleagues had also said in a radio interview last year that working with elephants could be tricky.
Keeper Lee Hart said: ‘They’re always trying to see how much they can be mischievous and, due to the large size, it makes them extremely dangerous.’
He added: ‘If you put yourself in a bad spot in the barn or in the yard you just potentially, you know, put yourself in harm’s way.’
Police are investigating the details of the incident and have been interviewing staff.
The zoo was open on Friday, although the elephant enclosure was off limits.
@MailOnline
