A white rhino caused the death of a zebra at Zurich Zoo. The pachyderm injured the equine abdomen so seriously that it succumbed on the spot. The incident took place on Friday at a location visible to visitors, in the Lewa Savannah Space.
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“This is a very unfortunate and deplorable incident,” zoo director Severin Dressen said in a statement. Despite all the precautions taken, there is always a residual risk when different animal species coexist, as is the case in the Lewa savannah space.
Such an unfortunate clash is however exceptional. Besides rhinos and zebras, the facility is also home to giraffes, antelopes, ostriches and chickens.
For the male rhino, the incident has no consequences. He acted on his natural instincts and had no intention of killing, the statement said. He probably wanted to push the zebra and accidentally shot it dead.
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