Ammon News - A man broke into an enclosure at Basel Zoo in Switzerland and tried to attack a bull rhinoceros. The man was reportedly in a state of mental distress.

“Although there was contact between the man and the rhino bull Puri, neither the man nor the animal was injured,” said a spokeswoman for the zoo.

German newspaper Die Oberbadische had reported on an incident on Monday at the zoo, Basel cantonal police confirmed on Friday. It involved a person “in a difficult life situation”, said the spokesperson. He did not want to reveal more for reasons of privacy.

Apparently, the man was no longer in the enclosure when the police arrived. The zoo spokesperson went on to say that the zookeeper who had been called had been able to persuade the man to come to him in the safe area. The zoo and the police gave no details of the man’s motive. Swissinfo