A zoo worker was gored to death Sunday by a massive eland — the largest form of antelope in the world.
Details of the incident remained sketchy on Monday, but according to UPI, the incident happened after the zoo was closed for the day.
The website of Sweden’s Oland Zoo and Entertainment Park says it has been closed for the season.
The worker, whose name was not released, was said to be experienced in handling elands, a breed of antelope native to Africa.
The nationality of the worker was not given, according to Sky News, which described the dead handler as being “from overseas.”
Richard Berglund, the zoo’s chief executive, said he had been helping the victim with herding the elands into their stable, according to KXAS-TV.
Animal caretaker at Öland’s Zoo killed by an eland antelope on Sunday, while handling the animals. Police calls it an accident, but a routine investigation has started to look into the details. The zoo had already closed for the day during the time of the incident. #Sweden
— The Nordic Reporter (@nordicreporter) August 29, 2022
“It was a friend … we’re all grieving,” Berglund said.
“I myself was involved and it could not have been done in any other way,” Berglund told Swedish media, according to UPI.
“We were going to feed the animals and suddenly it attacked, we have never had any problems with those animals before,” he said.
Berglund said that despite the attack, the eland that killed the handler is still at the zoo and will not be euthanized.
However, he said, the animal might be moved to another zoo.
The owner of the Swedish park said he and his friend were bringing elands – the world’s biggest antelopes – into their stable when the attack happened. https://t.co/4xge83Ga0R
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 29, 2022
Police said the incident is being treated as a workplace accident, according to Sky News.
Elands are found in 17 African countries. Males can weigh as much as 2,200 pounds, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.
In March, some elands were among a group of animals that wandered away from a pen at the Toronto Zoo due to a failure of a latch, the zoo announced.
At the time, the animals were described as “non-threatening.”
