A wild fox in Washington DC, has chewed through a fence at the National zoo and killed 25 flamingos in the worst animal attack there in two decades.
On Tuesday, zoo officials announced that in addition to the 25 American flamingos that were killed early on Monday in their outdoor habitat, three more were injured. A northern pintail duck was also killed by the fox.
Zoo officials had spotted a fox in the flamingos’ yard but said it escaped.
The remaining flamingos out of the original 74 birds in the group were moved indoors into their barn and the ducks were transferred to a covered, secure outdoor space, the zoo said. The birds’ wings are clipped and they are unable to fly away.
“This is a heartbreaking loss for us and everyone who cares about our animals,” said the zoo director, Brandie Smith.
Lead Image: Flamingoes at the National zoo. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images.
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