A woman zookeeper mauled by wolves Wednesday morning had to be rescued by firefighters who climbed down a ladder into the wolf exhibit at the Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City, police said.
That 39-year-old woman, who had injuries from head to toe, was transported to Franciscan Health Michigan City. A 34-year-old woman employee, who was bitten on the arm and escaped, was also treated at the hospital, said Capt. Kevin Urbanczyk of the Michigan City Police Department.
Their injuries were considered to be non-life-threatening, and both are in stable condition, Urbanczyk said.
William Walker, the assistant superintendent for the city’s parks and recreation, wasn’t answering questions beyond a brief news release. The office of Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch was going to be handling an updated release on the situation, Urbanczyk said.
Two wolves were involved in the attack, Urbanczyk said.
The night before Wednesday morning’s attack, a wolf had died of natural causes, the release said.
Wolves display a range of emotions that suggest they experience grief and mourning in ways that parallel human emotional responses to loss. While scientists debate the exact nature of animal emotions, field researchers have documented evidence of wolves’ responses to deaths within their close-knit family grounds, according to the Animals Around the Globe website.
It was a tough week at the zoo. A lemur also died Tuesday night from apparent lung failure.
The wolf exhibit — which has a prominent place toward the front of the zoo — was closed Wednesday. The local Michigan City High School is known by the nickname “Wolves.”
The exhibit was open Thursday morning and one lone white wolf roamed the range.
The Washington Park Zoo keeps gray wolves, which are considered to be an endangered species.
LaPorte County EMS handles the transportation of injured patients to the hospital. But on Wednesday morning, Michigan City firefighters also came to the scene and acted quickly in extricating the injured woman from inside the exhibit. Urbanczyk said.
A 21-year veteran of the Michigan City Police Department, Urbanczyk said he could only remember one prior incident at the zoo years ago when police were called out after someone was bitten by a monkey.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
