Thursday, June 11, 2009

Chimp takes a bite out of management


Every zoo I've worked at, we wanted to do something similar to most of our bosses, but only a chimp has the nerve to follow through:

BERLIN (Reuters) – The director of the Berlin Zoo made famous by the polar bear cub Knut has had his finger bitten off by a chimpanzee called Pedro.

Bernhard Blaszkiewitz, 55, was feeding Pedro walnuts as he showed a visitor round the zoo Monday when the ape grabbed his hand and bit off his right index finger...

Doctors sewed Blaszkiewitz's finger back on but said it was not clear if the operation would be successful.

(Zoo spokesman) Andre Schuele said the incident would have no repercussions for the 28-year-old Pedro.

Video (at the same link) says Pedro "almost" severed the finger... and that the doctors were considering whether the amputate the reattached finger that night if its condition got worse, because the zoo director "knows the dangers of infection from such a bite and he has travel plans that are important to him."

No word on where he's planning to go that's more important than sticking around and trying to save a finger, but maybe that location should add this story to its travel brochures.

(Photo of Pedro from Reuters.)

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