Foxes are known to raid henhouses. But this raid, on an outdoor zoo yard housing dozens of bright pink flamingos unable to fly away, was many times worse.
Zookeepers at the National Zoo in Washington made a macabre discovery this week when they entered the outdoor enclosure that housed 74 flamingos.
A wild fox from neighbouring Rock Creek Park had apparently chewed a hole in the metal mesh fencing and wreaked havoc, killing 25 flamingos and injuring three others. One Northern pintail duck was also killed.
It’s the latest fox-related disruption in the US capital, where last month, a rabid red fox attacked a congressman, who fought it off with an umbrella and had to get rabies shots.
Capitol Police received several reports of “aggressive fox encounters on or near the grounds of the US Capitol”, including at the nearby US Botanic Garden. The captured fox was euthanised, along with its kits.
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Capitol police captured a sly red fox that had been harassing local residents and commuters. Photo: US Capitol Police Twitter -
Officers caged the crafty intruder and took it away. -
The US Capitol police had been scouring Capitol Hill on Tuesday amid reports of a highly aggressive red fox trying to take bites out of humans. Photo: US Capitol Police Twitter -
Capitol police captured a sly red fox that had been harassing area residents and commuters. Photo: US Capitol Police Twitter -
A file photo of a red fox. AFP -
Officer Best with the Humane Rescue Alliance Animal Care and Control attempts to trap a fox on the grounds of the US Capitol on Tuesday. Getty Images / AFP -
Several individuals had reported being approached and bitten by a fox. Getty Images / AFP -
Officer Best with the Humane Rescue Alliance Animal Care and Control trapped a red fox on Tuesday. Getty Images / AFP -
Officer Peterson with the Humane Rescue Alliance Animal Care and Control assists trapping a fox on the grounds of the US Capitol on Tuesday. Getty Images / AFP
The zoo attack is the worst such incident at the zoo in 20 years. In 2002 and 2003, a string of animal raids — also by foxes — led to the deaths of more than a dozen ducks, a peacock and an elderly bald eagle.
Zoo officials instituted new security measures in response to those attacks and those barriers have largely held firm until now.
The Zoo’s Bird House is currently closed to the public for long-term renovations and the flock mainly lives in a 905-square-metre yard with a barn and a heated pool. Zoo officials said the area was last inspected on Sunday at about 2.30pm.
When staff returned early on Monday morning, they found more than two dozen dead birds and a “new softball-sized hole in the heavy-duty metal mesh that surrounds the outdoor yard”, an official zoo statement said. Zoo staffers also briefly spotted the fox in the outdoor area, but the animal escaped.
To a fox, a flamingo is “like a chicken with longer legs and a different colour”, Dan Rauch, the city’s wildlife biologist, told The Washington Post. The ones at the zoo have their wings clipped and cannot fly away.
Brandie Smith, the zoo’s director, called the most recent carnage “a heartbreaking loss for us and everyone who cares about our animals”.
Ms Smith said in a statement that the fencing and other protective measures were being assessed and upgraded to prevent similar break-ins.
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Flamingos fly over the Sijoumi mudflat, known as Sabkhet Sijoumi, on the southern outskirts of Tunisia's capital Tunis. AFP -
A flamingo flies over the Sijoumi mudflat on the southern outskirts of Tunisia's capital Tunis. AFP -
More than 100,000 birds of around 100 different species spend winter in the murky waters of the Sijoumi lagoon, a critical wetland in the heart of Tunisia's capital. AFP -
Flamingos feed in the Sijoumi mudflat on the southern outskirts of Tunisia's capital Tunis. The lagoon, one of North Africa's most important wetlands that became a dumping ground during decades of urbanisation. AFP -
The Sijoumi lagoon is a breeding ground for the flocks of migratory birds that gather there at the end of winter. AFP -
The lagoon plays an important role in absorbing the overflow of water during heavy rains. AFP -
Once set apart from the city, today half of Tunis' residents live on the banks of the mudflat. AFP
“Our focus now is on the well-being of the remaining flock and fortifying our habitats,” she said.
The birds, formally known as American or Caribbean flamingos, are instantly recognisable for their long legs and distinctive pink hue.
The remaining flamingos have been moved to an indoor enclosure and the injured birds are being treated by the zoo’s veterinary staff.
The mesh fencing is specifically designed to prevent being chewed through by predators and “dig barriers” are also there to block any attempt to burrow under the fence. The fencing was last replaced in 2017 and had passed all previous safety inspections.
Now the zoo is boosting security again — reinforcing the mesh barriers, setting live traps around the outdoor yard and installing movement-triggered cameras to photograph any nocturnal activity.
