Wild fox kills 25 flamingos, 1 duck at National Zoo
The zoo was outfoxed.
A wild fox sneaked into the flamingo habitat at the National Zoo and killed 25 American flamingos, the Washington, D.C., zoo announced Tuesday.
Zoo staff discovered the grisly scene early Monday morning, the zoo said in a statement. A Northern pintail duck was also killed, and three more flamingos were injured.
The fox was blamed because a witness spotted it slinking away from the scene, according to the zoo. It was still on the loose as of Tuesday night. Prior to the massacre, 74 flamingos lived at the zoo.
“This is a heartbreaking loss for us and everyone who cares about our animals,” Smithsonian National Zoo director Brandie Smith said. “Our focus now is on the well-being of the remaining flock and fortifying our habitats.”
According to the zoo, habitat barriers are constantly checked by staff, and the bird house cleared inspection around 2:30 p.m. Sunday. But on Monday morning, zoo employees discovered a softball-sized hole in the metal mesh fencing.
The flamingos and the ducks were moved to new locations, and the bird house barrier was reinforced, the zoo said. Traps were also set in an attempt to catch the fox, which came from nearby Rock Creek Park, the Washington Post reported.
It’s not the first fox to cause havoc in D.C. this spring. A fox that bit nine people around the Capitol building was captured and euthanized after testing positive for rabies.
