Ranchi Zoo Caretaker Dies After Hippopotamus Attacks Him, Probe Underway

The caretaker, identified as Santosh Kumar Mahto (54), had entered the enclosure of the hippopotamus on Friday, allegedly to shift a newborn calf.

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India News

Around 112 caretakers, including casual and permanent, are employed in the zoo (representational).

Ranchi:

A caretaker of Ranchi's Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park on Sunday died due to his injuries suffered during an attack by a hippopotamus, a zoo official said.

The caretaker, identified as Santosh Kumar Mahto (54), had entered the enclosure of the hippopotamus on Friday, allegedly to shift a newborn calf.

The mother hippopotamus attacked Mr Mahto and injured him critically, the official said.

"Unfortunately, the caretaker died due to the injuries on Sunday morning at a private hospital in Ranchi," the director of the zoo, Jabbar Singh, told PTI.

Mr Singh said an investigation into the incident has been initiated.

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Asked about compensation to the next of family of the caretaker, he said that the zoo authority would send a proposal to the state government to provide an aid of Rs 20 lakh as Mahto was on duty on Friday.

In addition, the man will also get Rs 4 lakh compensation as per the norms due to death by wild animal attack.

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"The zoo authority took care of the hospital cost. We will also try to get a job for a member of his family," he said.

Meanwhile, caretakers of the zoo shut down its main gate in protest against the zoo authority.

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Around 112 caretakers, including casual and permanent, are employed in the zoo.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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