TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A baby zebra, Tikiti Maji, died on Tuesday at Reid Park Zoo after running into a fence.
As the storm rolled in that day, Director of Animal Care Adam Ramsey said a gust of wind scared Tikiti and its mother Anna. She started to run and stopped before the fence, but Tikiti followed her and didn't stop.
"The foal just continued on and ran into the fence and unfortunately died from injuries to her neck," Ramsey said.
He said this is something that has happened at zoos across the country.
"It's one of the leading causes of death for zebras under a year old," Ramsey noted.
This has happened three times at Reid Park Zoo since 2014. In 2020, the zoo lost a male foal in a similar event and because of that, Ramsey said they made many changes to the zebra habitat.
"We've made major modifications since that and we've had a successful foal in between them," he explained. "But now we are adding additional wood paneling to make the walls more solid-looking."
Because these animals are endangered, they are a part of the Grevy Species Survival Plan.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums sent KGUN 9 a statement about the protocol when something like this happens at an accredited zoo:
"With wild animals, accidents still do occur despite layers of precaution. In those cases, our standards require the zoo to file a detailed accident report to the independent AZA Accreditation Commission with a plan to prevent future incidents."
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Tina Giuliano is a reporter for KGUN 9. She is a native Arizonan and grew up in Scottsdale. Tina is passionate about storytelling and is excited to work telling Tucson's stories. Share your story ideas and important issues with Tina by emailing tina.giuliano@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
