A 4-year-old cheetah attacked a zookeeper at the Colombo Zoo and Aquarium on Thursday morning.
The cheetah, Isabelle, was being taken by two members of the Animal Programs team for their daily workouts when a keeper approached.
“At this point, Isabelle’s care team made her sit down and she was calm and purring,” zoo officials explained in a statement. “When the keeper approached them, Isabelle crouched down and launched herself towards the Heart of Africa keeper, who works around giraffes and other hooves.”
“We believe that, due to the animals’ normal behavior, the smell of these other animals in the keeper triggered a natural instinct in Isabelle, who reacted.”
POSITIVE GORILLA TEST FOR CORONAVIRUS AT SAN DIEGO ZOO SAFARI PARK
Isabelle, a 4-year-old cheetah, attacked a zookeeper at Columbus Zoo on Thursday.
(Amanda Carberry, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium)
The keeper was transported to a local hospital for treatment, but has now been released.
The zoo said this was Isabelle’s first incident and now she will be quarantined for 30 days to make sure she doesn’t get sick.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
She will return to the Heart of Africa section of the zoo after 30 days.
“She shares a close bond with her care team and participates in the cheetah race as one of the fastest runners,” said zoo officials.