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Wild Fox Kills 25 Flamingos and a Duck at the National Zoo
Hat tip, NBC Washington, channel 4
Wild Fox Kills 25 Flamingos and a Duck at the National Zoo
The fox, which escaped, had apparently gnawed a softball-size hole in the metal mesh surrounding the birds’ outdoor yard, zoo officials said.
By Michael Levenson
May 3, 2022
Updated 3:37 p.m. ET
When a curator of the bird collection at Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington came to work on Monday morning, she was startled to see a wild fox leaving the flamingo habitat. ... By then, it was too late. ... The fox had killed 25 American flamingos and one northern pintail duck, apparently after gnawing a softball-size hole in the metal mesh surrounding the birds’ outdoor yard.
“I can’t even imagine the effort,” Brandie Smith, director of the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, said in an interview, adding that it was most likely the work of “a very determined fox” that may have been trying to provide for its young, known as kits. ... Now, the zoo is toughening the security measures around its bird exhibits in case the fox, which escaped, strikes again.
The zoo called it “the first predator mesh breach” at its flamingo exhibit, a 9,750-square-foot expanse with a heated pool and barn, which has remained largely unchanged since the 1970s. Three other flamingos were injured in the attack and were being treated at the zoo’s veterinary hospital. ... “This is a heartbreaking loss for us and everyone who cares about our animals,” Dr. Smith said in a statement. “The barrier we used passed inspection and is used by other accredited zoos across the country. Our focus now is on the well-being of the remaining flock and fortifying our habitats.”
{snip}
Foxes have also been known to prowl Washington. Last month, a fox roaming Capitol Hill bit at least nine people, including a member of Congress, before it was caught, euthanized and tested positive for rabies. The fox’s three kits were also euthanized because of their exposure to their rabid mother.
{snip}
The fox, which escaped, had apparently gnawed a softball-size hole in the metal mesh surrounding the birds’ outdoor yard, zoo officials said.
By Michael Levenson
May 3, 2022
Updated 3:37 p.m. ET
When a curator of the bird collection at Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington came to work on Monday morning, she was startled to see a wild fox leaving the flamingo habitat. ... By then, it was too late. ... The fox had killed 25 American flamingos and one northern pintail duck, apparently after gnawing a softball-size hole in the metal mesh surrounding the birds’ outdoor yard.
“I can’t even imagine the effort,” Brandie Smith, director of the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, said in an interview, adding that it was most likely the work of “a very determined fox” that may have been trying to provide for its young, known as kits. ... Now, the zoo is toughening the security measures around its bird exhibits in case the fox, which escaped, strikes again.
The zoo called it “the first predator mesh breach” at its flamingo exhibit, a 9,750-square-foot expanse with a heated pool and barn, which has remained largely unchanged since the 1970s. Three other flamingos were injured in the attack and were being treated at the zoo’s veterinary hospital. ... “This is a heartbreaking loss for us and everyone who cares about our animals,” Dr. Smith said in a statement. “The barrier we used passed inspection and is used by other accredited zoos across the country. Our focus now is on the well-being of the remaining flock and fortifying our habitats.”
{snip}
Foxes have also been known to prowl Washington. Last month, a fox roaming Capitol Hill bit at least nine people, including a member of Congress, before it was caught, euthanized and tested positive for rabies. The fox’s three kits were also euthanized because of their exposure to their rabid mother.
{snip}
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Fox killed daughter's neighbor's ducklings, southern MD.
