CINCINNATI -- Rhino calf Kendi bit a man during a behind-the-scenes encounter Tuesday morning, according to Cincinnati Zoo officials.
The one-year-old rhino "nipped the tip" of a man's finger while being fed. The man is OK, and zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley said Tuesday night the nibble represents an exception rather than a common occurence.
"We've done the same tour hundreds of times without incident," she wrote in a text message. "The guest was offering Kendi a herbivore treat. His minor injury was tended to and he is fine."
Kendi, the one-year-old rhino, nipped the tip of an adult male’s right index finger during a behind the scenes encounter earlier today. The guest is being treated for a minor injury and expected to be fine.
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) October 2, 2018
All zoo guests who take part in behind-the-scenes encounters, which allow them to see and interact with animals up close, sign waivers acknowledging such interaction is "inherently dangerous." Most of these encounters cost $250 per participating guest.
"I think you kind of know the risk involved when you do something like that," Cincinnatian Seth Rich said of the incident. "If you get bit, I kind of feel like it's on you. In fact, I don't kind of think. It is on you."
