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Man bitten by crocodile at J’lem zoo remains in serious condition

The hospital said the man underwent a nine-hour procedure and remains hooked up to a ventilator.

Crocodiles at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, Aug. 18, 2024. Credit: Israel Police.
Crocodiles at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, Aug. 18, 2024. Credit: Israel Police.

A 45-year-old staff member attacked by a crocodile at Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo on Sunday was in serious condition on Monday following major surgery at Hadassah Medical Center Ein Kerem.

The hospital said the man underwent a nine-hour procedure and remains hooked up to a ventilator.

The attack occurred on Sunday, and the man’s life was likely saved when a security guard opened fire on the crocodile, which according to the zoo later died.

“They alerted me and I rode in on a motorcycle,” the guard, Nati Cohen, told Ynet. “I shot seven bullets at the crocodiles.”

Police opened an investigation into the incident.

The zoo was also probing the attack, which “at no point posed a danger to visitors.”

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