Zookeeper viciously attacked by wildebeest
A woman has been attacked by a wildebeest at a zoo in North Carolina.
Kimberly Hillman, a member of staff at Zootastic in Iredell County, was attacked after shooing the animal away, a gesture which it regarded as a threat.
The animal threw her in the air twice, and she was hospitalised for a week as a result.
The incident occurred as she drove a mum and her child who had arrived late for a trip throughout the zoo on wagons, to catch up with other visitors, reports the NY Daily News.
As she got out of the car, the animal approached, and Ms Hillman shooed it away, before it attacked her.
According to the CS Monitor, Zootastic owner Scottie Brown told WOSC: "It hit her, threw her up in the air. She hit (the) ground, it picked her up again and threw her up in the air, and I was getting off the tractor at the time and I ran and got between her and the wildebeest."
Mr Brown said that it was the first time anyone had ever been hurt at Zootastic, and that he would ensure it was the last.
He added that the zoo will strictly enforce its existing policy that nobody steps outside a vehicle while in the park.
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