Thursday, April 12, 2007

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A zoo worker had his forearm reattached
Thursday after his colleagues recovered the severed limb
from the mouth of a 440-pound Nile crocodile, an official
said.

The crocodile severed Chang Po-yu's forearm on Wednesday
at the Shaoshan Zoo in the southern city of Kaohsiung when
the veterinarian tried to retrieve a tranquilizer dart
from the reptile's hide, zoo officials said.

The Liberty Times newspaper said Chang failed to notice
the crocodile was not fully anesthetized when he stuck his
arm through an iron rail to medicate it.

As Chang was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday, a zoo
worker shot two bullets at the crocodile's neck to
retrieve the forearm, said Chen Po-tsun, a zoo official.

"The crocodile was unharmed as we didn't find any bullet
holes on its hide," Chen said. "It probably was shocked
and opened its mouth to let go of the limb."

The 17-year-old reptile is one of a pair of Nile
crocodiles kept by the Kaohsiung zoo. The crocodile is
listed as an endangered species, and is rapidly
disappearing from its native African habitat.

Chen said the zoo purchased the crocodile from a local
resident who had kept it as a pet.