Zoo culls antelope after bovine TB outbreak

A zoo in Devon has been forced to cull a herd of antelope because of an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis.

In the first confirmed case at Paignton Zoo, the Kafue Flats lechwe were put down after an antelope died in May. A post-mortem examination of the animal proved positive for the disease, which may have been brought into the enclosure by badgers.

Two males and eight females were destroyed on the advice of the Animal Plant and Health Agency.

Executive Director Simon Tonge said: “Wild animals in zoological collections can suffer the same fate as livestock on farms.” There was no increased risk to visitors.