Baby rhino bites patron during behind-the-scenes tour at Cincinnati Zoo.
A call rang out over an emergency radio channel Tuesday that had crews wondering if they heard it right the first time, despite the dispatcher’s deliberate delivery.
“Engine 32, 46 respond, Cincinnati Zoo, 3400 Vine Street, gate number four. And what we have here is a rhino bite,” the dispatcher said.
A 1-year-old rhinoceros did in fact bite the finger of a patron at the Cincinnati Zoo, officials said Tuesday.
Kendi, a young eastern black rhino, bit the tip of a man’s right index finger during a behind-the-scenes encounter, officials said.
The zoo said the man was feeding Kendi an herbivore treat when he was bitten.
“I’m happy to report that the finger was just dislocated,” a zoo spokeswoman said.
Multiple crews were called to the Cincinnati Zoo for reports of a rhinoceros bite, officials with the Cincinnati Fire Department said.
Kendi was born at the zoo in July 2017 to mother Seyia. He is only the fifth eastern black rhino born in the last two years in North America and the first to be born at the Cincinnati Zoo since 1999.
Kendi means “the loved one” in Swahili.
The Cincinnati Zoo offers several behind-the-scenes encounters, offering visitors up-close encounters with several of its animals.
