A woman bit chunks out of a man's hands after he allegedly dragged her into Dunedin's botanical gardens and sexually assaulted her on Sunday.
Dunedin police said yesterday they were seeking an injured man in connection with the attack.
Detective Sergeant Graeme Scott said the woman, 38, was grabbed on the streetnext to the gardens about 2.30am and dragged into the bushes, where she was assaulted.
"The man had his hands over her mouth and she managed to bite him and leave him with quite noticeable injuries," he said. "Human bites are nasty and I'm certain this man would need treatment."
The injuries included chunks of skin and possibly flesh missing from the hands, he said.
Mr Scott appealed for people to contact police if they noticed anyone returning home on Sunday with bleeding or injured hands.
The offender was described as European, aged about 30, 175cm tall, with a moustache. He was wearing a bomber-style jacket and jeans.
