Chimpanzee Dies After Rattlesnake Bites Him

A chimpanzee at the Los Angeles Zoo died last week after being bitten by a rattlesnake that had crawled into its exhibit.

“He found the snake and went over and picked it up,” zoo Director John Lewis said this week.

The zoo’s proximity to the wilds of Griffith Park means that rattlesnakes in the park sometimes find their way onto the zoo grounds -- both the visitor areas and the animal enclosures, Lewis said.

“Our staff is constantly on the lookout for rattlesnakes,” he said. “Typically when they find them in the zoo or the exhibits, they relocate them to the park.”