A chimpanzee at the Indianapolis Zoo bit the zoo’s President and CEO Dr. Rob Shumaker last week, the zoo confirmed.
WFIU/WTIU requested comment from the zoo after viewing a social media post regarding the incident.
Indianapolis Zoo External Relations Vice President Jake Oakman sent WFIU/WTIU News the following statement:
Indianapolis Zoo President & CEO Dr. Rob Shumaker sustained an injury while feeding a chimpanzee through a mesh barrier last week. The tip of Dr. Shumaker’s finger was bitten, and he received medical attention for the wound. Dr. Shumaker has recovered, and the chimpanzee has no ill-effects. The incident was reported to the zoo’s accrediting body, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and was reported internally to relevant staff and to the zoo’s board chair. Dr. Shumaker is a primatologist who has spent his career researching and interacting with great apes and the incident occurred during a standard feeding interaction.
The zoo opened the Penny and Jock Fortune International Chimpanzee Complex in May last year. Shumaker has worked with the Indianapolis Zoo since 2010.
Read more: Chimpanzee complex will let visitors get up close with great apes at Indianapolis Zoo
