Two keepers at the National Zoo were bitten Friday by an animal called a binturong during what the zoo said was a routine training session. The injuries were described as not life-threatening.
The attack occurred in a section of the zoo’s Great Cats exhibit that was not an exhibit area and was not open to the public. It happened around 10 a.m. as one of the keepers was getting the weight of a female binturong named Lola.
Binturongs, sharp-toothed and sharp-clawed, have been described as about the size of a coyote or a medium-size dog and may weigh as much as 79 pounds. Stocky and bewhiskered with thick dark hair, the binturong is sometimes called a bearcat, although it is neither bear nor cat.
During the attack, the animal, age 12, bit a staff member and “did not readily let go,” the zoo said.
A colleague in animal care came to the keeper’s aid, but the colleague was also bitten when Lola was removed and placed in a separate enclosure, the zoo said.
The two staff members were taken to a hospital out of what the zoo called an abundance of caution. Attacks by zoo animals on keepers seem to be relatively rare. A spokesman for the D.C. fire department said he could not immediately recall a similar incident in recent years.
At the National Zoo, a zebra bit a keeper in 2013. And in another incident more than 40 years ago, a keeper was bitten by a giant panda, according to accounts in The Washington Post.
It was not clear Friday what led the binturong to bite. The zoo regularly describes training sessions with its animals in which they become accustomed to participating in physical exams and other aspects of their own care. Sometimes the animals are enticed or rewarded with treats.
It was unclear Friday whether Lola would be subjected to any change in treatment or training in the wake of the bite.
Binturongs are native to the tropical forests of Asia. Their long tails, which can be used for grasping, aid in climbing and perching securely in trees.
The zoo also has a male binturong named Hank.
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