A 73-year-old volunteer at the Denver Zoo was bitten on the hand by an alligator Friday after a “lapse in judgment” while preparing the gator for an education program.
The 20-year volunteer, whose name was not released by the zoo, received puncture wounds on his right hand and was taken by ambulance to an undisclosed hospital. Zoo spokesman Sean Andersen-Vie said the man was “smiling and in good spirits” after the accident shortly before noon.
The volunteer was handling a 5-year-old, 4-foot American alligator at the zoo’s Gates Education Center. The gator, named Bog, is used in education programs and is accustomed to people, Andersen-Vie said.
But this time, the volunteer had a “lapse in judgment and tried to pick the alligator up,” Andersen-Vie said.
The 10-pound gator turned back and nipped the volunteer, causing the wounds between his thumb and index finger on his right hand. Alligator bites are rarely fatal to adults, but infection at the site of the puncture is a concern.
