A four-month-old African wild dog pup was killed in a freak accident at the Miami Zoo earlier this week. The pup was one of five born on 23 January that was being moved to an enclosure at the zoo, when a cable attached to a heavy metal guillotine door snapped and the door came down on her.
The Miami Herald reported that ‘Zoo Miami is mourning the loss of a juvenile painted dog on Monday morning “following equipment failure.”’
Zoo spokesman Ron Magill told the Florida based publication that, “During a routine transfer of the pack which includes both parents and the five juveniles, for an as of yet unknown reason, a cable that supported a solid metal guillotine door separated and the door then fell on the animal.” The pup was killed instantly.
Magill said that the zoo was conducting an investigation to figure out what caused the cable to snap and led to the death of one of these highly endangered animals .
According to the zoo, holding areas for carnivores and animals like primates at the zoo are made up of a series of enclosures, which are connected by a tunnel-system of hallways, ‘It is important to note that this system of guillotine doors is only used to provide access within a secure area between the animals and their exhibit habitat and that no animal would have access to any public areas as a result of such a failure.’
Wild dogs, also known as painted wolves, are one of the most endangered animals on Earth, with only an estimated 6,000 dogs left.
Featured image: Pixabay
