BIRMINGHAM NEWS (Alabama) 17 August 05 Zoo official back at work 2 months after alligator bite (Walter Bryant)

Having been away from the office almost two months, Birmingham Zoo Assistant Director Jeff Cook thought a stack of paperwork looked pretty good Tuesday.

It was his first day on the job since an 11-foot alligator bit him on his right leg in the zoo's clinic June 10. He and zoo staff were starting to restrain the reptile for a medical examination.

During an almost three-hour operation at UAB Hospital, Cook's fractured lower leg was mended with a metal plate and eight screws.

"I have 70 or 80 percent range of motion in my ankle," he said Tuesday afternoon in his office.

Cook has found an unexpected use for the fold-down seat on the walker that helps him get around. "I use it to carry stuff, like stacks of paper."

The 48-year-old zoo official is sticking close to his office while his leg continues mending. He has not yet been out on the grounds or seen the alligator that bit him.

The accident happened when Cook was stooping in front of the alligator and holding its head to keep its jaws shut. A towel covered the reptile's eyes so it couldn't see what was going on. But suddenly the alligator raised up on its front legs, snapped its jaws onto Cook's right leg and quickly let go.

"I heard the bone snap."

Zoo staff quickly laid Cook on a nearby cart and splinted his leg to immobilize it. Paramedics arrived and took him to the hospital.

He recalled looking down at his leg and feeling reassured when there was no profuse bleeding.

He does not blame the alligator. He says his leg was closer to the reptile's jaws than it should have been.

Besides catching up on paperwork, Cook plans to create a leather and wire muzzle that will be used in the future to restrain alligators.
Zoo official back at work 2 months after alligator bite

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