Vulture died with ‘suspicious’ wound, Dallas Zoo officials say as investigation continues

The Dallas Zoo announced in a news conference Monday that the death of a vulture was “deemed very suspicious” after a wound was found on the bird and it did not appear to be a “natural death.”

The vulture, whose name was Pin, was found dead in its enclosure Saturday morning, about a week after holes were found in a monkey habitat and after a clouded leopard, Nova, went missing and was later found on zoo grounds.

Dallas police are investigating the death of Pin, in addition to the damage to the monkey and clouded leopard enclosures.

“Our vet team conducted a gross necropsy — our version of an animal autopsy — on the bird to try and determine the cause of death,” said Greg Hudson, chief executive officer of the Dallas Zoo. “What we found was deemed to be very suspicious, which pointed to this not being a natural death.”

A “wound” was discovered on the vulture, Hudson said in a press conference. The cause of the wound is under investigation, he said.

“Part of the ongoing investigation is to see if they are related or they’re not related,” said Kristen Lowman, a spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department, regarding the investigations of the clouded leopard, the monkey enclosure, and the death of Pin.

Pin was a male lappet-faced vulture who arrived at the Dallas Zoo 33 years ago. He was at least 35 years old but may have been older, according to Harrison Edell, vice president of animal care and conservation for the zoo. Three vultures — two males and one female — remain at the enclosure.

The lappet-faced vulture, native to Africa and parts of the Middle East, gets it name from the folds of the skin on the neck called “lappets.” Often known as “nature’s clean-up crew,” they play a critical role in consuming dead animals and ridding the environment of the spread of potentially deadly diseases, according to the Dallas Zoo.

Lappet-faced vultures are considered endangered with a chance to move to critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are likely only 6,500 individuals of this species left on earth, with only 27 vultures in U.S. zoos.

“We’re also really disturbed by the idea that someone might have intentionally done this,” Edell said. “This is a species that is incredibly important to us.”

Dallas Zoo officials said they have “substantially” increased cameras and doubled security presence overnight on zoo grounds.

“We’re going to continue to expand and implement whatever it takes for the safety and the security measures of the animals, the staff, and the people that live near the zoo,” Hudson said.

The zoo has received a “tremendous amount of support” from the Dallas Police Department, City of Dallas Parks and Rec Department, and City Council District 4 Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold, according to officials.

The zoo asked anyone with information about the incidents to call 214-670-7694. The zoo is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and indictment.