(Michigan City, IN) - Two employees at Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City were taken to a hospital after attacked by wolves on the zoo grounds this morning.

 

The most seriously hurt victim, a 39 year old woman, suffered numerous injuries across her entire body, said Michigan City Police Capt. Kevin Urbanczyk.

 

Michigan City Fire Department training officer William Sonntag helped treat her wounds before she was transported to Franciscan Health hospital.

 

“She was alert and conscious but, as you can imagine, in a great amount of pain.  Happy to be alive,” he said.

 

Sonntag said the other female zookeeper suffered a bite wound to one of her arms.

 

Emergency responders about 8 a.m. were called to the zoo at the city’s lakefront and found two wolves secured in small cages and howling in different areas of the exhibit.  The most seriously injured woman had already made her way out of the exhibit and was on the floor.

 

Sonntag said the other zookeeper was still in the exhibit with a third howling wolf. Two firefighters rescued her by climbing on the roof of an adjacent building and lowering a ladder into the exhibit.

 

“As soon as the ladder touched the ground, she was climbing up,” he said.

 

What exactly led up to the attack remains investigation.  Sonntag said it happened after one the zookeepers doing something inside the exhibit asked the other woman to come in and help.

 

“Things went downhill from there,” he said.