Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
New Orleans,
July
14,
2018
Tragic Incident at Audubon Zoo
UPDATE: July 15, 11 a.m.
Our staff continue to mourn the loss of our animals. An investigation is underway and we will release information when available. Initialfindings concluded keeper error was not a factor in this incident.
As of early this morning, our fox, Rusty faired well overnight, he will continue to be monitored and treated by expert animal care professionals. The second fox, Copper, remains in critical condition. We have a team of veterinarians managing his care. Unfortunately, Daisy, our alpaca, did not survive overnight and succumbed to her injuries from the incident. Valerio, the male jaguar, will be sedated today by our vet team and examined for any injuries sustained during his time outside of the exhibit.
As well as grief counselors being on onsite this morning for staff, we will be working with a child psychologist for our Zoo campers tomorrow to assist parents and children coping with this situation.
This continues to be a sad time for the Audubon family. We appreciate the continued overwhelming support.
UPDATE: July 14, 3:40 p.m.
Our animals are our family. We are devastated by this loss. We are mourning the loss of six animals that did not survive and three animals injured (one alpaca named Daisy and two foxes called Copper and Rusty) that are under professional animal care.
The names of the alpaca that did not survive were Noel, Micia, Alexandria, and Lil Melody. The fox was named Maggie Mae and the emu was called Elmo.
The team responded immediately to the incident. Veterinarians had to prepare tranquilizers and position themselves to get a good line of sight. Once darted, the jaguar was sedated within minutes.
We are still investigating how this happened. From our initial inspection, it appears the roof of the habitat was compromised. We are still investigating, and no animals will be housed in this enclosure until the investigation and repairs are completed.
The safety of our guests, staff, volunteers, and animals is our #1 priority. We are taking this incident very seriously and working to investigate what happened to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.
We perform drills annually and have protocols for this exact situation to ensure that emergencies of this kind are resolved as safely and quickly as possible.
Audubon Zoo is home to two jaguars. The female, Ix Chel was safe in a separate indoor habitat during the incident.
Valerio was born March 2015 at San Diego Zoo and moved to Audubon Zoo in October 2017.
Both animals are receiving exceptional care behind the scenes while we investigate and make improvements. The jaguar habitat will be closed tomorrow, July 15, but the rest of the Zoo will reopen.
This is a sad day for the Audubon family including our staff, volunteers, supporters, and our community. We are offering grief counseling to our staff to ensure they are supported during this time. We appreciate the overwhelming support and the many condolences from the community on social media.
July 14, 9:48 a.m.
A 3-year-old male jaguar was reported to have escaped from its habitat at about 7:20 a.m. The Zoo was closed to the public at that time. Animal care, veterinary staff, and security implemented the appropriate action plan to ensure staff safety. The animal was sedated and secured in its night house.
The situation was resolved by 8:15 a.m. when the jaguar was sedated by the vet team. There were no human injuries, but sadly, four alpaca, one emu, and one fox in nearby habitats were attacked and did not survive.
The animal care team is devastated by this tragic loss. Today is a difficult day for the Audubon family. The Zoo will be closed today, July 14 and will reopen tomorrow, July 15 at 10am.
An after action review will take place and an investigation as to how the jaguar escaped will be conducted.
A press conference was held in the front of Audubon Zoo today at 1 p.m.
...
https://newsroom.audubonnatureinstit...imal-incident/
July
14,
2018
Tragic Incident at Audubon Zoo
UPDATE: July 15, 11 a.m.
Our staff continue to mourn the loss of our animals. An investigation is underway and we will release information when available. Initialfindings concluded keeper error was not a factor in this incident.
As of early this morning, our fox, Rusty faired well overnight, he will continue to be monitored and treated by expert animal care professionals. The second fox, Copper, remains in critical condition. We have a team of veterinarians managing his care. Unfortunately, Daisy, our alpaca, did not survive overnight and succumbed to her injuries from the incident. Valerio, the male jaguar, will be sedated today by our vet team and examined for any injuries sustained during his time outside of the exhibit.
As well as grief counselors being on onsite this morning for staff, we will be working with a child psychologist for our Zoo campers tomorrow to assist parents and children coping with this situation.
This continues to be a sad time for the Audubon family. We appreciate the continued overwhelming support.
UPDATE: July 14, 3:40 p.m.
Our animals are our family. We are devastated by this loss. We are mourning the loss of six animals that did not survive and three animals injured (one alpaca named Daisy and two foxes called Copper and Rusty) that are under professional animal care.
The names of the alpaca that did not survive were Noel, Micia, Alexandria, and Lil Melody. The fox was named Maggie Mae and the emu was called Elmo.
The team responded immediately to the incident. Veterinarians had to prepare tranquilizers and position themselves to get a good line of sight. Once darted, the jaguar was sedated within minutes.
We are still investigating how this happened. From our initial inspection, it appears the roof of the habitat was compromised. We are still investigating, and no animals will be housed in this enclosure until the investigation and repairs are completed.
The safety of our guests, staff, volunteers, and animals is our #1 priority. We are taking this incident very seriously and working to investigate what happened to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.
We perform drills annually and have protocols for this exact situation to ensure that emergencies of this kind are resolved as safely and quickly as possible.
Audubon Zoo is home to two jaguars. The female, Ix Chel was safe in a separate indoor habitat during the incident.
Valerio was born March 2015 at San Diego Zoo and moved to Audubon Zoo in October 2017.
Both animals are receiving exceptional care behind the scenes while we investigate and make improvements. The jaguar habitat will be closed tomorrow, July 15, but the rest of the Zoo will reopen.
This is a sad day for the Audubon family including our staff, volunteers, supporters, and our community. We are offering grief counseling to our staff to ensure they are supported during this time. We appreciate the overwhelming support and the many condolences from the community on social media.
July 14, 9:48 a.m.
A 3-year-old male jaguar was reported to have escaped from its habitat at about 7:20 a.m. The Zoo was closed to the public at that time. Animal care, veterinary staff, and security implemented the appropriate action plan to ensure staff safety. The animal was sedated and secured in its night house.
The situation was resolved by 8:15 a.m. when the jaguar was sedated by the vet team. There were no human injuries, but sadly, four alpaca, one emu, and one fox in nearby habitats were attacked and did not survive.
The animal care team is devastated by this tragic loss. Today is a difficult day for the Audubon family. The Zoo will be closed today, July 14 and will reopen tomorrow, July 15 at 10am.
An after action review will take place and an investigation as to how the jaguar escaped will be conducted.
A press conference was held in the front of Audubon Zoo today at 1 p.m.
...
https://newsroom.audubonnatureinstit...imal-incident/