Crocodilian bites Bronx Zoo keeper, causing minor injury

A Bronx Zoo keeper suffered a minor arm injury after being bitten by a crocodilian reptile, according to zoo officials. The keeper was treated at a hospital and released.

The incident happened at about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday while the keeper was cleaning an enclosure with a tomistoma, also known as a Malayan gharial, the Bronx Zoo said.

Zoo officials said the keeper slipped while cleaning the enclosure and the animal “nipped at the left forearm of the keeper.”

“The keeper was treated at a local hospital and released for a minor wound which did not need stitches,” the Bronx Zoo said in a statement. WABC reported that the worker was taken to nearby St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition.

A tomistoma is a long-snouted crocodilian native to parts of Southeast Asia, including Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also known as a Malayan gharial and is related to crocodiles, alligators and gharials.

No other injuries were reported. The status of the tomistoma was not immediately known.