Dallas Zoo animals missing, dead, injured : Animals : Natural World News

There have been recent reports from various news sources of missing, dead or injured animals at the Dallas Zoo.

A series of suspicious incidents at the Dallas Zoo in a short period of time led to the arrest of a suspect in connection with the missing monkey on Friday, February 3.

Police are still investigating whether the man may have been involved in the earlier incident.

according to Dallas Police DepartmentDavion Irvin, 24, has been charged with six counts of animal cruelty and may have other charges.

Harrison Edell, executive vice president for animal care and conservation at the Dallas Zoo, expressed his frustration by likening the situation to being punched in the gut one after another.

Dallas Zoo and several man-made holes

according to FOX4On January 13, a clouded leopard named Nova broke free from her enclosure and walked through a hole dug by humans.

This is the first incident.

Authorities declared a “code blue” alert, indicating that a non-dangerous animal was at large, and they closed the zoo.

After searching for about 6.5 hours, they found her at the zoo about 100 yards from her habitat.

The habitat for the langurs was similar to that at the Nova paddock the next day, but all the monkeys were present and explained.

A week later, a rare and endangered vulture died from an unknown wound.

According to the zoo, there are only about 6,500 bald eagles left in the world.

Pin, a 35-year-old bird, is one of only 27 vultures in captivity in the United States and one of four vultures in the zoo.

The Dallas Zoo tweeted on its official account that the animal care team was appalled by the enormous loss and the unusual circumstances surrounding the death, which did not appear to be from natural causes.

After these incidents, the zoo increased security by hiring more staff overnight and installing more cameras.

Nonetheless, on January 30, two emperor marmosets named Bella and Finn disappeared from their habitat.

They were found days later in a cupboard in an abandoned house in Lancaster, Texas, and returned safely to the zoo.

Veterinarians examined the animals and found that they had lost some weight but showed no obvious signs of injury.

The Dallas Zoo posted on their Facebook page that they will be keeping a close eye on the monkeys, but are relieved now that they are safe and back in their care.

The monkeys will have to go through a quarantine period because they were removed from the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo’s habitat before being reintroduced there, so they won’t be returning there for the time being.

wildlife smuggling

Dan Ash, president and chief executive of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said the incidents are a reminder of the importance of protecting animals in zoos, national parks and other natural environments.

He added in a statement that the association supports the zoo and claims that it and its animals are victims of practices that may be aimed at the animals for personal use or worse, being trafficked.

The wildlife smuggling market is estimated to be worth approximately US$7.8 billion to US$10 billion annually.

Elephants, tigers and pangolins are just a few of the endangered species whose numbers have been reduced by poaching and smuggling.

Also read: Animal Sanctuary Sued, 80% of Exotic Animals Could Face Euthanasia – Washington

other zoo events

Theft from zoos is common.

In 2015, 25 members of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums reported incidents of animal theft, according to Katharine Gammon’s article in The Guardian four years ago.

Poachers broke into a French zoo in 2017, shot and beheaded one of the rhinos.

A ring-tailed lemur was removed from the Santa Ana Zoo in 2018 and from the San Francisco Zoo the following year.

Both lemurs were returned safely.

Police are currently investigating the theft of a dozen squirrel monkeys at the Louisiana Zoo, which happened two days before Finn and Bella went missing.

So far, there is no known link between the two cases.

Ed Hanson, chief executive of the American Association of Zoo Keepers, said the coincidence raised questions because for those who take animals out of zoos, it often quickly becomes apparent that they have bitten off more than they can chew. much more.

Hansen emphasized that these animals are not typical house cats; they are endangered species with unique dietary needs.

Often, people release them after realizing they cannot be controlled, smithsonian magazine reports.

related articles: Harris hawk at Zoo Atlanta dies from injuries after altercation with mysterious wildlife who sneaked in