Monkey Bites, Rips Off 5-Year-Old Boy's Finger While Feeding Animal At Zoo

In a horrific incident, a 5-year-old boy's finger was ripped off by a monkey when the child was feeding the animal peanuts. The animal also bit the child.

The attack took place Friday at Santo Inácio Zoo in Portugal. The boy had visited the zoo with his family and was playing next to the monkey's cage when the incident occurred, a local police spokesman told Portuguese newspaper Observador.

The boy was feeding the monkey peanuts when the animal bit the tip of his finger and then tore it off his hand, the zoo said. The zoo officials said "safety rules had been broken since the animal was being fed by visitors."

"The safety plans of zoological parks are created taking into account the risk category of the species, such as size, speed or bite, but also the type of installation where there are several warnings that alert visitors to the safety measures to be followed, namely not to feed or touch animals. All plans implemented aim to ensure, at all times, the safety of keepers, animals, and visitors," the zoo said in a statement to the Observador.

The child was taken to a hospital in Porto. Doctors said a police officer entered the monkey's cage and retrieved the boy's finger that had been ripped off.

It was unclear if the doctors would be able to successfully reconstruct his finger. The boy was reportedly in stable condition.

The zoo reopened only last week after being closed for three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an incident in Germany in January, a camel bit a zookeeper in the face while he was cleaning out an enclosure and feeding the animals. The attack took place at Perleberg Zoo. The 54-year-old victim was "seriously injured" and was rushed to hospital. It remains unclear as to what provoked the animal.