A zookeeper at Adelaide Zoo has been injured by an emu while feeding the bird this morning.

Key points: Adelaide Zoo said the keeper had been feeding an emu in a private area

Adelaide Zoo said the keeper had been feeding an emu in a private area She was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a stable condition

She was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a stable condition The zoo's curator says keepers have to exercise caution around wild animals

In a statement, the zoo said the keeper had been feeding Cecil the emu, who had been off food for a week.

The keeper received injuries to her face and arms after being scratched by the animal in an off-display area, but the zoo described the injuries as "minor".

An ambulance was called as a precaution.

SA Ambulance Service told the ABC the woman, in her 20s, was kicked and scratched by the emu and was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a stable condition.

Adelaide Zoo curator Mark Smith said the keeper could be back to work by tomorrow and Cecil could be back on display within the week.

He said the zoo had a very strict incident response policy and all staff would be made aware of the event.

"Emus are like any wild animal, they can be really gentle and occasionally they can behave in a way that you don't expect," he said.

"We always have to be very respectful of the fact that it is a wild animal and just really exercise caution around them."

Cecil was found by the side of the road as a chick after his family was killed by a car. ( Adelaide Zoo )

The emu is the second-largest living bird by height, after the ostrich, and is native to Australia.

Although flightless, they can travel great distances and can sprint at 50 kilometres per hour.

The incident at the zoo comes days after a woman was attacked by a jaguar at an American zoo.

Eyewitnesses said the animal was in its enclosure at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park in Phoenix, Arizona, when it lashed out through fencing.

It left deep gashes on the woman's arm after she climbed over the barrier to get closer.

Last year, a jaguar also escaped from its enclosure at the Audubon Zoo, in New Orleans, and killed six other animals, forcing the zoo to close for the day.

It killed an emu, four alpacas, and a fox in nearby habitats before it was sedated.