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Baby Zebra Dies After Storms at Reid Park Zoo

Incident Date:
02/07/2024
Location:
Tucson, AZ - USA
Facility Name:
Reid Park Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Other
Animal:
Zebra
Animal disposition:
Dead

Summary:

Tucson, AZ – A one-month-old baby zebra, named Tikiti Maji, has died from a traumatic injury prompted by severe wind gusts that day. Tikiti Maji’s mother Anna was startled by a wind gust and abruptly moved into a different portion of the habitat near a wood-paneled fence.

“Our young zebra foal ran into a fence and injured her neck and unfortunately she died immediately,” said Adam Ramsey, Director of Animal Care at Reid Park Zoo. Ramsey said the veterinary staff responded immediately but the baby zebra was already dead.

Ramsey said zebras can be easily startled and this type of injury is not uncommon. This tragedy comes just over three years after Reid Park Zoo lost a male foal in July 2020 in a similar event and nearly 10 years after another zebra fractured his neck running into an enclosure barrier.

Action take by Born Free USA:

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