Exotic Animal Incident Report

Reported: Jun 11, 2012
Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Animal: Harbor Seals
Animal Disposition: dead

Facility Type: Accredited AZA Zoo
Facility Name: St. Louis Zoo, Storybook Gardens

Category: Animal Death, Animal health issue
Species: Marine

Summary: Two harbor seals (named Nunavut and Atlantis) on their way from a Canadian theme park, Storybook Gardens, to the St. Louis Zoo died in transit. The two seals were part of a group four seals being transported. One seal was discovered dead enroute, and another ailing seal was taken to Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, which was the closest zoo. The second seal died at the zoo. A third seal, Cri Cri, was transported to the Indianapolis Zoo, which employes a staff of marine mammal specialists. Cri Cri was diagnosed as having severe exertional myopathy, a form of muscle-tissue damage caused by stress. The prognosis was not good. A fourth seal, Peanut, was able to travel through to the St. Louis Zoo and appears to be healthy. Zoo officials do not know what went wrong in the 12-hour drive.

Source: STL Today.com, Metro News.CA