Two Workers at Smithsonian National Zoo Bit by Lola the Bear Cat

Two National Zoo staff members bitten by bearcat

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-toothe…

Two workers at Smithsonian National Zoo bit by Lola the bear cat

Binturong Lola in her habitat at the Claws & Paws Pathway at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.(Courtesy Smithsonian/Skip Brown) Binturong Lola in her habitat at the Claws & Paws Pathway at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.(Courtesy Smithsonian/Skip Brown) A 12-year-old binturong named Lola bit two staff members at the Smithsonian National Zoo in D.C. on Friday. A staff member was conduct…

2 zookeepers bitten by ‘bearcat' at DC's National Zoo

Two zookeepers were taken to a hospital after they were bitten by a binturong, also known as a bearcat, at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in D.C. on Friday morning, authorities say. The animal bit the zookeepers in the zoo’s Lion-Tiger Hill area. A zoo spokesperson said the zookeepers were taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries described as non-life-threatening. It wasn’t immediately clear how badly the zookeepers were hurt or what preced…