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Zoo cleaner attacked by giant otter

HAMBURG, Germany, June 9 (UPI) -- A cleaner at Hamburg's Hagenbeck zoo was hospitalized after being attacked by an escaped giant otter, officials said.

The attack happened June 2 as the zoo cleaner, whose name was not reported, scrubbed benches, The Local.de reported Friday.

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"We have no idea how the giant otter escaped," zoo spokeswoman Eveline Dustersiek told The Local. "Somehow it must have pushed a hole through the fence, which is strange because the fence is metal."

When the zoo cleaner saw the animal, she screamed and the six-foot-long giant otter pounced on her.

The otter bit the cleaner several times, as well as a zoo keeper and an assistant who tried to pull the animal off her.

The cleaner was hospitalized for severe bites to her arms and legs. The zoo keeper was also taken to a hospital for minor injuries.

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