Endangered animals among 55 deaths at zoo
A NUMBER of critically endangered species were among 55 animals that died at Dublin Zoo in 2016.
These included both of the zoo’s male western lowland gorillas, a giraffe, three white-naped mangabeys, and an Amur tiger – of which there are only a few hundred still living in the wild.
The latest figures show that more than 11pc of the zoo’s animal population died in 2016, bringing the total number of deaths there to 164 between 2014 and 2017.
Records, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, reveal there were also 93 births at the zoo in 2016. Unfortunately one-in-four of these new arrivals died within 30 days.
A scimitar-horned oryx, a species of antelope that has been extinct in the wild for almost 20 years, also died at the zoo last year. Five of these animals died at the zoo between 2014 and 2017.
Two adult waldrapp ibis, one of the world’s most endangered birds, died in 2016.
The most high-profile animal death in 2016 was that of Harry the gorilla, who died following a stroke on May 29. His death featured last year on the RTÉ series ‘The Zoo’.
The western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species, was 29 years old when he died. Their average lifespan in the wild is 35-40 years, although they can live for more than 50 years in captivity.
Harry’s death was announced by the zoo in a press release. However, there was no formal statement on the death of its other male gorilla. They were replaced by a new male and female, while a baby gorilla was also born in July 2016.
Other animals that died at the zoo in 2016 included a grey wolf, a slender-tailed meerkat, a female ostrich, a Humboldt penguin and a baby snow leopard. A zoo spokesperson said the well-being of animals is its “number-one priority”.
“However, as in the wild, animals die in Dublin Zoo... In every situation, the best of veterinary care and attention is given. We mourn the loss of every animal,” they said.