Killed keeper 'gave warnings'

The Asian elephant had turned on its keeper before

A zoo keeper who was killed by a bad-tempered elephant had warned that such an accident was likely to happen, an inquest has heard.

Richard Hughes, 34, was attacked by a four-ton Asian elephant named Kumara after he tried to move her in her enclosure at Chester Zoo.

Kumara, who was in her mid 30s, smashed Mr Hughes against a wall by swatting him with her trunk before butting him.

Mr Hughes, from Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, died in the Countess of Chester hospital nine days later on 18 February 2001.

Previous attacks

The animal suffered a painful foot condition which could make her irritable.

She had attacked keeper Don Plant twice in the previous 12 months, causing minor injuries.

An inquest, held by Cheshire Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg at Macclesfield Town Hall, heard how Mr Hughes had "grave concerns" about Kumara.

Mr Hughes's partner, Julie Anne Machin, told the hearing: "It was not his dream job but he enjoyed working with the elephants.

Richard had said that one day it would happen

Don Plant, elephant keeper

"Certainly, after Don was attacked the second time, Richard said Kumara had upped the stakes.

"When I heard there had been an attack, I said 'It's Kumara', and it was.

"Richard had said that one day it would happen because she had already knocked Don again.

"He said then that her behaviour was becoming more and more unacceptable and that she was a risk."

Mr Plant told the inquest he was with Mr Hughes when the attack took place last February.

They had just finished mucking out the elephant enclosure, which housed five females and two young males, and were giving the animals their daily wash with a power hose.

Caution ordered

The two men wanted to take an elephant through to a separate enclosure for her wash but Kumara was blocking the gate.

Mr Plant said: "Richard came out of the pen through the bars, walked round on the right hand side of Kumara and gave a verbal command to move forward.

"She gave him a glancing blow with her trunk and sent him against the wall.

"Immediately she moved out and faced him head-on and proceeded to butt him against the wall."

Mr Plant added that keepers were under instruction not to issue verbal commands to Kumara unless one of two elephant specialists was present.

Neither was present when Mr Hughes gave the command.

The hearing continues.