The Wyoming County Sheriff's Office is investigating the discovery of a body at the Hidden Valley Animal Adventurein Varysburg on Royce Road. The sheriff's department said the body of 81-year old Hans Boxler was found trampled by a Nilgai Antelope that somehow got out of his pen. A family member called the Wyoming County 911 Center Monday to report a man with injuries was apparently trampled by an animal.
The family said Hans never returned after feeding the animals around 8:30 Sunday night. Officials said they determined Boxler was feeding animals in a fenced in laneway when he was trampled. The Antelope was located by family members near its pen with the door open and secured it when they searched for Boxler.
Authorities stated that "at no time was the animal loose from its confinement, just out of its pen". They report the pen area is secured by a secondary retention fence.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner has determined the death to be accidental and the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries.
Hans was the founder of the 60-plus acre animal park, featuring a variety of animals, including exotic animals, such as bison, camel, zebra, ostrich and emu. The website says it operates 'Wild Safari Tours'.
The Adventure Calls Outfitters in nearby Castille called it a 'tragic death' in a Facebook post. It extended 'condolences' to the Wyoming County New York Tourism and Boxler family.
Michael Powers, Marketing Director at the animal park, tells WBFO News they are not conducting any interviews at this time, but said "a statement is coming."
A statement issued by the family said Boxler was a "lifelong farmer who had a passion to farm and work with animals." It said Hans was well respected throughout the community.
The website states Boxler was 'a successful dairy farmer for over 60 years' and he created Hidden Valley Animal Adventure in 2002.
"He wanted to share his love of animals and envisioned a place for families to come and enjoy a truly unique experience together. The result is Hidden Valley Animal Adventure a family-run and operated animal park. Today we have over 300 animals and 40 different exotic species for you to come and interact with up close. Come and escape to the wild. The adventure is closer than you think," according to the webpage.
A wake is planned at The Lodge at Hidden Valley Animal Adventure. Calling hours will be held July 25 & 26th from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. A celebration of his life will be held Wednesday, with a procession from The Lodge with his beloved Belgian horses carrying him for one final ride to his funeral Mass at St. Joachim & Anne Church in Varysburg.
The animal part will be closed to the public from Monday through Wednesday.
Copyright 2016 WBFO
